Authoritarian Personality

• Who proposed the authoritarian personality theory of prejudice?

  Theodor Adorno
• What does the authoritarian personality theory focus on?

  Individual factors to explain prejudice
• How do childhood experiences impact adult behavior according to Adorno?

  They influence behavior and attitudes towards others
• How does Adorno describe someone with an authoritarian personality?

  Obedient to authority, prejudicial to inferiors
• What leads to the development of an authoritarian personality according to Adorno?

  Strict and punitive parenting with little love
• How does hostility develop in individuals with an authoritarian personality?

  It is displaced towards minority groups
• What did Adorno et al. develop to assess authoritarian personalities?

  A questionnaire called the F-scale
• What does the F in F-scale stand for?

  Fascist
• What are the nine variables in the F-scale?

  1. Conventionalism
  2. Authoritarian submission
  3. Authoritarian aggression
  4. Anti-intraception
  5. Rigid thinking, superstition, and stereotypy
  6. Power and 'toughness'
  7. Destructiveness and cynicism
  8. Projectivity
  9. Sex
• What does conventionalism in the F-scale refer to?

  Strict following of conventional, middle-class values
• What is authoritarian submission in the F-scale?

  Submissive attitudes towards idealised authorities
• What does authoritarian aggression entail?

  Condemnation of those violating conventional values
• What is anti-intraception in the F-scale?

  Opposition to subjective and imaginative experiences
• What does rigid thinking, superstition, and stereotypy refer to?

  Tendency to think in rigid categories
• What does power and 'toughness' signify in the F-scale?

  Identification with those in power and strength
• What does the variable 'sex' in the F-scale refer to?

  Overemphasised interest in sexual deviations
• How does the authoritarian personality contribute to prejudice?

  • Resists social change
  • Stereotypes others
  • Exhibits hostility towards marginalized groups
• Why might people with authoritarian personalities resist social change?

  They perceive it as threatening to order
• How do individuals with authoritarian personalities stereotype others?

  By categorizing into "us versus them" groups
• What kind of hostility do individuals with authoritarian personalities exhibit?

  Directed towards marginalized groups
• How does confirmation bias affect perceptions of outgroup members?

  It reinforces existing stereotypes
• What happens when an outgroup member commits a crime?

  Stereotypes about the group are activated
• How do ingroup members typically respond to crimes committed by outgroup members?

  They notice and remember these incidents
• What is the general nature of schemas about out-group members?

  They tend to be simplistic
• What does the authoritarian personality theory emphasize about individual differences?

  Personality traits predispose some to prejudice
• How does the authoritarian personality explain aggression and prejudice?

  It provides a psychological explanation for hostility
• When was the authoritarian personality theory developed?

  After World War II
• Who examined the authoritarian personality in Nazi Germany?

  Adorno and colleagues
• Why is the authoritarian personality theory relevant today?

  It helps understand authoritarian regimes
• What is a methodological issue with the F-scale?

  It lacks reliability and validity
• Why is the F-scale criticized?

  It is too simplistic and potentially biased
• What deterministic view does the authoritarian personality theory hold?

  It assumes personality is shaped by childhood experiences
• What factors does the authoritarian personality theory neglect?

  Social and cultural influences
• How does the authoritarian personality theory view prejudice?

  As driven by individual personality traits
• What does the authoritarian personality theory downplay?

  The role of broader societal influences
• What have many studies concluded about authoritarianism and prejudiced attitudes?

  They found weak or no correlations