The Authoritarian Personality Flashcards

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1
Q

participants

A

2000

college students form the USA

other american white, non-jewish middle class people

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2
Q

research methods used

A

case studies
psychometric testing (questionnaires)
clinical interviews

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3
Q

who created this theory and when

A

Adorno 1954

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4
Q

what did the clinical interviews look into

A

the situational aspects of their childhood

such as if they had been brought up by very strict parents

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5
Q

what was included in the psychometric testing

A

questionnaires

used the F (fascism) scale

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6
Q

what did the F (fascism) scale determine & give an example of an item on the fascism scale

A

a person’s likelihood to be an authoritarian personality

example from the F scale: ‘people can be divided into to distinct classes: the weak and the strong’

higher scores agree with the statements and mean a person has a more authoritarian personality

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7
Q

what does the authoritarian personality suggest about adult personality and attitudes

A

they stem from childhood experiences

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8
Q

what type of childhood did authoritarian personalities most likely have

A

they were dominated by strict parents who demanded absolute obedience and they offered conditional love

resulted in the defence mechanism of displacement

idolise parents but fear or loathe them at an unconscious level

causes obedience for those at a higher level but harsh for those considered socially inferior

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9
Q

characteristics of the authoritarian personality

A

conventionalism
hostility to out-groups
intolerance of ambiguity
submissive to authority figures
belief that people can be divided into the weak and the strong
authoritarian aggression
obsession with ranks and status

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10
Q

conventionalism

A

rigid beliefs in conventional values

suspicious of anyone who is different from the majority

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11
Q

authoritarian aggression

A

belief that anyone who challenges authority should be dealt with in an aggressive way

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12
Q

what can individual differences in obedience be explained by

A

the authoritarian personality

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13
Q

are people with the authoritarian personality more likely to be obedient or disobedient

A

obedient

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14
Q

what did Adorno propose about prejudice

A

prejudice is the result of an individuals personality type

deep-seated personality traits predisposed some individuals to be highly sensitive to totalitarian and antidemocratic ideas - more prone to be prejudicial

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15
Q

what are people with the authoritarian personality likely to categorise people into

A

‘us’ and ‘them’ groups

see their own group as superior

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16
Q

what research was the authoritarian personality based on

A

empirical

based on a research project where people who were believed to be highly authoritarian were interviewed

17
Q

how does it lack application

A

doesn’t explain how whole social groups can be prejudiced

e.g. the nazis

18
Q

sample

A

white middle class Californians

19
Q

problems with how the participants information on their childhood was gathered

A

retrospective data - drawn from their own recollections - authenticity of results cannot be certain - reduced validity