The authoritarian personality Flashcards
What type of explanation is the authoritarian personality for obedience?
Dispositional because it explains how personality factors influence obedience.
What is an authoritarian personality?
A distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute submission to authority.
What are authoritarian personalities more likely to have experienced?
An authoritarian upbringing in an authoritarian family - possibly using physical punishment. Acquire attitudes from learning and imitation.
How can the authoritarian personality be measured?
F scale. Rate their agreements with statements on a Likert scale.
What is right-wing authoritarianism?
A cluster of personality variables that are associated with a right-wing attitude to life.
What are the variables that make up a right-wing attitude to life?
Conventionalism - adherence to conventional norms and values.
Authoritarian aggression - aggressive feelings towards people who violate these norms.
Authoritarian submission - uncritical submission to legitimate authorities.
Who investigated the authoritarian personality and obedience?
Elms and Migram.
How did Elms and Milgram investigate this?
20 ‘obedient’ and 20 ‘defiant’ participants from Milgram’s experiments completed the F scale and MMPI scale (personality measure). Also asked open-ended questions about childhood.
What did Elms and Milgram find?
Little differences on MMPI scale. Some difference on F scale. Obedient participants more likely to be less close with their fathers. Obedient more likely to see authority figure in Milgram’s study as admirable.
(AO3) What is more important than the authoritarian personality?
Social context. Proximity, location, disobedient peers, uniform. Dispositional factors have influence, but do not account for changes seen in Milgram’s different conditions.
(AO3) What is acquiscence bias and how is it applied here?
The phenomenon of a participant always responding the same on a Likert scale, regardless of content. Serious methodological issue. Effect reliability and validity of using F scale to indicate obedience.
(AO3) Why does the authoritarian personality have little external validity?
Cannot explain many real life scenarios. Whole of Nazi Germany did not have authoritarian personality. Displaced fear and anger of struggles onto perceived ‘inferior’ group. Limited explanation, requires more.
(AO3) How may demand characteristics play a role here?
Participants aware of study that has already taken place. May be easy to guess aims from personality questions. Social desirability bias may lead to answers tailored to please researchers. Lack of internal validity.
