Dispositional explanation

• ++Evidence that authoritarians are obedient. Elms and Milgram (1966) interviewed 20 fully obedient participants from Milgram's original obedience studies. Scored significantly higher on the F-Scale than comparison group of 20 disobedient participants. Suggests that obedient people may share many of the characteristics of the people with an Authoritarian Personality.
• --Authoritarianism can't explain a whole country's behaviour. Millions of Germans displayed obedience and antisemitism but can't have all had the same personality. Unlikely that the majority of Germany's population had an Authoritarian Personality. More likely explanation is that Germans identified with the Nazi state. Therefore Social Identity Theory may be a better explanation.
• --The F-Scale is politically based. Christie and Jahoda (1954) suggest the F-Scale aims to measure tendency towards extreme right wing ideology. But both right and left authoritarianism insist on complete obedience to political authority. Therefore, Adorno's theory is not a comprehensive dispositional explanation as it doesn't explain obedience to left-wing authoritarianism, it is politically based.
• --Flawed evidence. People who tend to agree with the statements (response bias) on the F-Scale are scored as authoritarian. Therefore, explanations of obedience based on research with the F-Scale may not be valid.