● A01 Authoritarian personality
Dispositional explanations: any behaviour that considers the importance
of an individual’s personality rather than situational variable
Authoritarian personality: According to Authoritarian personality theory.
Obedient people are the result of a psychological disorder. A distinct
personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional
values and belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority. They
adopt absolutist views and see the world as black and white.
Adorno et al: Conducted A study, using 200 middle class white Americans
to find out their unconscious views towards other racial groups by
developing a number of questionnaires, including the F scale,.which
measured fascist tendencies. Those high on the F scale, were status
conscious, more obedient to authority figures and showed an extreme
submissiveness and respect. They also believe that society requires
strong leadership to enforce rigid traditional values, hence to
dispositional.Preference for obedient behaviour.Adorno believed that the
foundations for all their authoritarian personality were laid in earlier
childhood because of harsh and strict parenting. This creates resentment
within the child's day grow up since they cannot express it at the time.
The feelings are displaced onto others who are seen as weak and
inferior.According to Adorno, this personality type is correlated with
prejudice and discrimination as well as obedience.
A03 strengths and weaknesses
Research to support: Elms and Milgram (1966) wanted to see if the
obedient participants in Milgram’s research were more likely to display
authoritarian personality traits, in comparison to disobedient
participants. Their sample consisted of 20 obedient participants, who
administered the full 450 volts and 20 disobedient participants, who
refused to continue. Each participant completed several personality
questionnaires, including Adorno’s F scale, to measure their level of
authoritarian personality. In addition, participants were also asked
open-ended questions about their relationship with their parents and
their relationship with the experimenter and learner, during Milgram’s
experiment. Elms and Milgram found that the obedient participants
scored higher on the F scale, in comparison to disobedient participants,
Therefore finding a positive correlation between high obedience and high
score on F scale. In addition, the results also revealed that obedient
Dispositional explanations: any behaviour that considers the importance
of an individual’s personality rather than situational variable
Authoritarian personality: According to Authoritarian personality theory.
Obedient people are the result of a psychological disorder. A distinct
personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional
values and belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority. They
adopt absolutist views and see the world as black and white.
Adorno et al: Conducted A study, using 200 middle class white Americans
to find out their unconscious views towards other racial groups by
developing a number of questionnaires, including the F scale,.which
measured fascist tendencies. Those high on the F scale, were status
conscious, more obedient to authority figures and showed an extreme
submissiveness and respect. They also believe that society requires
strong leadership to enforce rigid traditional values, hence to
dispositional.Preference for obedient behaviour.Adorno believed that the
foundations for all their authoritarian personality were laid in earlier
childhood because of harsh and strict parenting. This creates resentment
within the child's day grow up since they cannot express it at the time.
The feelings are displaced onto others who are seen as weak and
inferior.According to Adorno, this personality type is correlated with
prejudice and discrimination as well as obedience.
A03 strengths and weaknesses
Research to support: Elms and Milgram (1966) wanted to see if the
obedient participants in Milgram’s research were more likely to display
authoritarian personality traits, in comparison to disobedient
participants. Their sample consisted of 20 obedient participants, who
administered the full 450 volts and 20 disobedient participants, who
refused to continue. Each participant completed several personality
questionnaires, including Adorno’s F scale, to measure their level of
authoritarian personality. In addition, participants were also asked
open-ended questions about their relationship with their parents and
their relationship with the experimenter and learner, during Milgram’s
experiment. Elms and Milgram found that the obedient participants
scored higher on the F scale, in comparison to disobedient participants,
Therefore finding a positive correlation between high obedience and high
score on F scale. In addition, the results also revealed that obedient
