The authoritarian personality

Question 1

What is a dispositional explanation?

Answer 1

Explanation of behaviour highlights the importance of the individual’s personality

Question 2

Who investigated into why Nazi soldiers were so willing to persecute and kill members of minority groups, such as Jews during WW II; could it be blamed on a personality trait?

Answer 2

Adorno

Question 3

When did Adorno investigate into this?

Answer 3

1950

Question 4

What did Adorno claim?

Answer 4

Particular personality type is more likely to obey an authority

Question 5

What did Adorno et al. (1950) investigated in to?

Answer 5

The causes of an obedient personality in a study of more than 2000 middle-class, white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups.

Question 6

What did Adorno et al. (1950) develop?

Answer 6

F scale

Question 7

What was Adorno et al procedure

Answer 7

• measured 200 middle class, white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups
• Developed and used the F-scale to measure authoritarian personality

Question 8

What did the F-Scale test?

Answer 8

The relationship between a person’s personality type and prejudiced beliefs

Question 9

Define authoritarian personality:

Answer 9

A type of personality which was susceptible to obeying people in authority

Submissive to those with high authority
Dismissive of inferiors

Question 10

What was Adorno et al (1950) findings?

Answer 10

-Those who scored higher were identified as ‘strong’
-higher score has particular cognitive style
+No grey areas between catergories
+Fixed and distinctive stereotypes
+Strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice

Question 11

Characteristics of an authoritarian personality:

Answer 11

• Rigid beliefs = very traditional/dislike of change
• Hostility of other groups = Dominating and bullying manner
• Intolerant of ambiguity = Cannot tolerate behaviour which is wrong

Question 12

Origin of the Authoritarian personality:

Answer 12

Harsh and punitive upbringing/ little love
Fear of parents = excessive respect to authority figures
Hatred of parents = gate and anger displaced on to others

Question 13

What is the origin of the Authoritarian personality base on?

Answer 13

Psychodynamic approach

Question 14

Elms and Milgram (1966)

Answer 14

• gave 20 of milgrams ppts who went all the way on the shock, the f-scale personality test
• they also gave it to 20 who didnt full obey

Question 15

What did Milgram and Elms (1966) find?

Answer 15

Original participants who exceed to 450v showed higher on tests of authoritarianism and lower on social responsibility

Question 16

Disadvantage of Milgram and Elms (1966):

Answer 16

• Only correlation

Question 17

Why is the authoritarian personality explanation limited?

Answer 17

As during the WWII May Germans behaved the same but had very different personalities so not all could have had the authoritarian personality

Question 18

What is right-wing authoritarianism?

Answer 18

a cluster of three of the original personality variables

Question 19

Who proposed RWA

Answer 19

• Robert Altemeyer

Question 20

When did Robert propose RWA

Answer 20

1981

Question 21

What are three characteristics of high RWA

Answer 21

• Conventionalism
• Authoritarian aggression
• Authoritarian submission

Question 22

Describe conventionalism

Answer 22

an adherence to conventional norms

Question 23

Describe Authoritarian submission

Answer 23

uncritical submission to legitimate authorities

Question 24

Describe Authoritarian aggression

Answer 24

aggressive feelings towards people who violate these norms