dispositional explanations for obedience: the authoritarian personality

dispositional explanation

focuses on internal factors (eg. personality characteristics) that may make some individuals more likely to obey authority

the authoritarian personality

Adorno (1950) suggested some individuals have an authoritarian personality

strong tendency to:

• obey and respect authority figures

• follow social rules and traditions

• expect others to submit to authority

individuals with this personality are more likely to obey those they see as higher status but are more hostile towards those they see as weak/inferior

measuring the authoritarian personality

adorno et al. (1950) developed F-scale to measure authoritarian tendencies

pp rated agreement with statements using a Likert scale

eg. “respect for authority and parents are some of the most important values which a child can learn”

higher score = wrong authoritarian personality

people with authoritarian personality are more lily to:

• have a rigid cognitive style

• see old in black and white terms

• be less accepting of different beliefs/behaviours

• rely heavily on stereotypes

struggle to accept uncertainty and prefer clear rules and instructions form authority figures

development of the authoritarian personalty

adorno used a pyschodynamic explanation - personality develops through childhood experiences

argued harsh, strict or overly disciplinarian parenting may cause children to:

• develop anger and resentment towards parents

• be unable to express feelings as parents are seen as powerful authority figures

• displace anger onto weaker group in society through scapegoating

child may appear to respect and admire parents but unconsciously direct anger towards groups they see as inferior

process involves reaction formation - unacceptable feeling are replaced by their opposite

individuals with personality more obedient due to:

• respect authority figures

• believe society should follow strict rules

• accept unequal power relationships

adorn argued personality differences can explain why some individuals are more likely to obey authority than others

authoritarian personality explanation strength - provides explanation for individual differences in obedience

situational explanation - people will obey when placed under pressure from legitimate authority figure

milgram’s findings - pp resisted despite experiencing same situation

personal characteristics may influence whether someone obeys or defies authority

authoritarian personality provides useful explanation for why obedience levels vary between individuals

authoritarian personality explanation strength - practical applications

understanding why some individuals don’t question obedience can help inform education and interventions designed to encourage independent thinking and the ability to question authority

eg. teaching individuals to evaluate information critically instead of accepting instructions form people in positions of power - reduce likelihood of harmful obedience

theory has value beyond explaining obedience as it suggests ways society can promote resistance to inappropriate authority

authoritarian personality explanation limitation - using f-scale to measure authoritarian traits may lack validity

Greenstein (1969) argued f-scale is vulnerable to acquiescence bias - pp tend to agree with statements regardless of actual beliefs

high scores on f-scale may not represent authoritarian personality characteristics

reduces validity and reliability of research supporting theory

conclusions about link between authoritarian personality an obedience should be treated with caution

authoritarian personality explanation limitation - narrow as it focuses mainly on right-wing authoritarianism

Christie and Jahoda (1954) argued authoritarian characteristics are also found in left-wing political groups (eg. Bolshevism)

authoritarian behaviour sent limited to fascist beliefs

f-scale only measures one form of authoritarianism and fails to explain all maples of obedience

authoritarian personality explanation may provide incomplete account of why people obey authority figures

authoritarian personality explanation limitation - limited ecological validity as it can’t explain large-scale examples of destructive obedience

eg. unlikely all nazi soldiers who followed orders and carried out harmful actions had an authoritarian personality

behaviour may have been influenced by situational factors (eg. pressure to conform, fear of punishment, loyalty to group, scapegoating of minority groups)

may overestimate importance of personality factors and underestimate influence of social situations