authoritarian personality Flashcards
(20 cards)
dispositional explanation
Internal explanation involving personality factors or individual reasons why someone obeys
who coined the term ‘authoritarian personality’
Theodore Adorno
F-scale
measures authoritarian personality traits by having participants rate their agreement to statements
characteristics of individuals with an authoritarian personality
they believe people should completely obey authority figures and suppress their own beliefs
what cognitive style do individuals with an authoritarian personality have
a ‘fixed’ cognitive style that prevents challenging stereotypes and promotes absolutist thinking
what does absolutist thinking entail
seeing things in black and white, with no grey areas for uncertainty
according to Adorno, where do a person’s personality traits and attitudes stem from
Childhood influences, particularly from parents
what happens when a child has overly harsh and disciplinarian parents, according to Adorno
child may displace their anger onto seemingly ‘inferior’ others through scapegoating
scapegoating
displacing anger onto those perceived as weaker or unable to defend themselves
reaction formation
psychological defense mechanism where individuals idolize their parents but unconsciously fear and despise them
how does reaction formation manifest in current politics
by targeting displaced anger towards minority groups
Fill in the blank: The F-scale requires participants to rate their agreement using a _______
Likert-style scale
Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)
personality and ideological framework proposed by psychologist Bob Altemeyer. It explains obedience to authority and prejudice
Authoritarian Submission
A high degree of submission to authorities perceived as legitimate
Authoritarian Aggression
Aggression directed at individuals or groups seen as deviant or threatening to conventional norms, often endorsed by authority figures
Conventionalism
A strong adherence to social conventions and traditional norms
In the context of obedience
individuals high in RWA are more likely to obey authority figures, even if it means harming others, because they trust and respect authority and value societal order
Supporting Research
Milgram & Elms (1966)
Participants who were highly obedient in Milgram’s study scored higher on the F-scale, indicating authoritarian traits
Explains Individual Differences
Not everyone obeys in the same way. The authoritarian personality explains why some people are more likely to obey than others based on personality traits
Correlation ≠ Causation
Just because there’s a correlation between authoritarianism and obedience doesn’t mean one causes the other.
Other factors (e.g., education, upbringing) may influence both
