The authoritarian personality Flashcards
What did the identification of a personality type provide?
The Authoritarian Personality- Provided a possible explanation for why some individuals require very little pressure to obey an order
Who used the F-Scale test?
Adorno et al. (1950)
What did the F-scale test measure?
Different components that made up the Authoritarian Personality
What kind of people where people with the Authoritarian Personality?
Rigid thinkers who obeyed authoirty, saw the world as black and white
Enforced sticking by social rules and hierarchy
What did Adorno et al. also find out about people who scored highly on the F-scale test?
They tended to be bought up by strict parents who used an authoritarian parenting style
What did growing up in an authoritarian household mean for children?
They assume that this is system is the expected norm
Children acquire these same authoritarian attitudes througha process of learning and imitation
What did Robert Altemeyer (1981) refine about the Authoritarian Personality?
He identified a cluster of three of the original personality variables that he referred to as right-wing authoritarianism
According to Altemeyer, high-RWA people possess three important personality characteristics that include?
- Conventionalism
- Authoritarian aggression
- Authoritarian submission
What is conventionalism?
An adherence to conventional norms and values
What is Authoritarian aggression?
Aggressive feelings toward people who violate these norms
What is Authoritarian submissions?
Uncritical submission to legitimate authorities
How did Altemeyer test the relationship between RWA and obedience?
Were order to give themselves increasing levels of shock when they made mistakes on a learning task
Key Study: Elms and Milgram (1966)
What was one of the major debates surrounding Milgram’s study of obedience?
Whether participant’s behaviour emerged only under specific situational conditions or whether it was dispositional
Key Study: Elms and Milgram (1966)
Who did Elms and Milgram use as their subjects?
Participants who had previously taken part in one of Milgram’s experiments two months previous
Key Study: Elms and Milgram (1966)
What kind of people did Elms and Milgram?
Obedient
Defiant
