dispositional explanantions of obedience

Dispositional explanation

Suggests obedient behaviour is due to internal traits e.g personality rather than situational/ external factors

Authoritarian personality

personality type defined by Adorno as being especially susceptible to obeying authority. Submissive t authority and dismissive of those lower than them

Profile of authoritarian personality

Extreme respect for authority + obedient to it

-> susceptible to obeying those in authority + submissive to those of a higher status.

-> inflexible outlook = rigid cognitive style - black or white thinking , no grey areas

-> have contempt for their inferiors - become harsh, hostile, and dismissive towards people perceived as having a lower status than themselves.

Origins of AP

• Harsh parenting - strict / rigid discipline

  • Expectation of absolute loyalty

  • Impossibly high standards

  • Severe criticism of any sever failings

• Conditional love - love is dependant on how they behave

—> creates resentment + hostility in child - cannot express this to parents So causes repression

-> displacement onto inferiors results in scapegoating  

Research into AP - method

• 2000 middle class white Americans - unconscious attitude towards racial groups

• Used the F - scale ( fascist scale ) - questionnaire

Research into AP- findings

• Found - high scores on F scale linked with:

  • Identification with the strong

  • Contempt towards the weak

  • Deference and servility to those of higher status

  • Black and white thinking 

Evaluation for AP - situational variables

Cannot account for effects of situational variables. M’s variations showed that social context is another factor influencing obedience, so relying solely on AP cannot explain findings. Suggests that a complete explanation of obedience needs to include both situational and dispositional factors

Evaluation for AP - research support

Support from Milgram, interviewed p’s and compared f scale score for fully obedient vs disobedient. Fully obedient scored much higher - demonstrates link between AP and obedience