Outline and evaluate the
authoritarian personality as a
dispositional explanation for
obedience. (16 marks)
Dispositional explanations of obedience focus on the internal (personality) traits of
people that support obedience. One hypothesis, put forth by Adorno, focuses on the
authoritarian personality. According to Adorno et al. (1950), severe and brutal parenting
during early childhood lay the groundwork for an authoritarian personality. As a result,
the youngster develops animosity, which, because they are unable to articulate it at the
moment, is projected onto people who are perceived as "weak" or "inferior." This
personality type is associated with prejudice and discrimination as well as obedience,
according to Adorno.
2000 middle-class Caucasian Americans participated in a study by Adorno et al. using a
variety of questionnaires, including the F-scale, which measures fascist inclinations, to
uncover their unspoken attitudes against other ethnic groupings. People who scored
highly on the F scale had a strong status sense, were more submissive to authoritative
figures, and had excessive respect for them. They also held the view that society needs
strong leadership to uphold rigid, conventional values, which explains their preference
for obedient behaviour as a dispositional trait. The authoritarian personality is supported
by science as a reason for obedience.
In order to determine whether there was a correlation between high levels of obedience
and an authoritarian personality, Milgram and Elms (1966) conducted post-experimental
interviews with subjects who had been completely obedient in Milgram's original study.
The results showed that as compared to the disobedient participants, the obedient
participants scored higher on the F-scale. In Milgram's study, the obedient participants
were also less attached to their fathers as children and showed admiration for the
experimenter, whereas the disobedient participants displayed the exact opposite
behaviour. It was shown that the Milgram experiment's obedient subjects exhibited
Outline and evaluate the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation for obedience. (16 marks) 1
authoritarian personality as a
dispositional explanation for
obedience. (16 marks)
Dispositional explanations of obedience focus on the internal (personality) traits of
people that support obedience. One hypothesis, put forth by Adorno, focuses on the
authoritarian personality. According to Adorno et al. (1950), severe and brutal parenting
during early childhood lay the groundwork for an authoritarian personality. As a result,
the youngster develops animosity, which, because they are unable to articulate it at the
moment, is projected onto people who are perceived as "weak" or "inferior." This
personality type is associated with prejudice and discrimination as well as obedience,
according to Adorno.
2000 middle-class Caucasian Americans participated in a study by Adorno et al. using a
variety of questionnaires, including the F-scale, which measures fascist inclinations, to
uncover their unspoken attitudes against other ethnic groupings. People who scored
highly on the F scale had a strong status sense, were more submissive to authoritative
figures, and had excessive respect for them. They also held the view that society needs
strong leadership to uphold rigid, conventional values, which explains their preference
for obedient behaviour as a dispositional trait. The authoritarian personality is supported
by science as a reason for obedience.
In order to determine whether there was a correlation between high levels of obedience
and an authoritarian personality, Milgram and Elms (1966) conducted post-experimental
interviews with subjects who had been completely obedient in Milgram's original study.
The results showed that as compared to the disobedient participants, the obedient
participants scored higher on the F-scale. In Milgram's study, the obedient participants
were also less attached to their fathers as children and showed admiration for the
experimenter, whereas the disobedient participants displayed the exact opposite
behaviour. It was shown that the Milgram experiment's obedient subjects exhibited
Outline and evaluate the authoritarian personality as a dispositional explanation for obedience. (16 marks) 1
