Obedience: Dispositional Explanations

• What was the aim of Adorno et al experiment?

  • wanted to understand the anti-semitism of the Holocaust
  • tried to locate the cause of the personality of each individual
• What was Adorno et al procedure?

  • 2000 middle class, white American men given a questionaire. They had to rate their agreement with each statement on a scale of 1-6 (likert scale)
  • The F-scale (facism scale) was used to measure unconcious attitudes towards other racial groups and authoritarian personality.
• What was Adorno et al Findings?

  • People with authoritarian learnings (scored high on F-scale) identified with 'strong' people and were generally contemptuos of the 'weak'.
  • They were very conscious of their own and other's statuses, showing excessive respect to those of higher status.
  • A strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice.
• What was Adorno et al Conclusions?

  • People with an authoritarian personality tend to be especially obediant to authority. Extreme respect and submissive.
  • Contempt for people they perceive as having an inferior social status.
  • They view society as 'going to the dogs' so believe we need strong and powerful leaders to enforce traditional values.
  • Inflexible in their outlook, everything is right or wrong, they are uncomfortable with uncertainity.
• What is the authoritarian personality


  The authoritarian personality is a personality type characterized by a disposition to treat authority figures with unquestioning obedience and respect. 
• What are the origins of the Authoritarian Personality?

  • Childhood - harsh parenting styles
  • Strict discipline
  • Absolute loyalty
  • Impossibly high standards
  • Severe criticism of perceived failings
  • Conditioned love - based on how well child behaves.