Evaluation

• Elms and Milgram (1966) wanted to see if the obedient Participants in Milgram’s research were more likely to display Authoritarian personality traits, in comparison to disobedient Participants. Each participant completed Adorno’s F scale part of the Interview, to measure their level of authoritarian personality. 20 obedient participants scored significantly higher on the F Scale than the group of 20 disobedient. This support Adorno’s view that obedient people have Similar characteristics of authoritarian personality.
• This supports the view That obedient people may well show Similar characteristics to people who Have an authoritarian Personality And adds concurrent validity to Adorno’s F-scale research
• However, when the researchers analysed the individual subscales of the F-scale. They founds that the Obedient participants had a number of characteristics that were unusual for authoritarian. They did not Glorify their fathers, did not experience unusual levels of punishment in childhood and did not have Particularly hostile attitudes towards their mothers. Furthermore, research by Middendorp and Meleon (1990) found that less-educated people are more likely To display authoritarian personality characteristics, than well-educated people.
• If these claims are correct Then it is possible to conclude that it is not authoritarian personality characteristics that lead to Obedience, but levels of education. LIMITATION – This means that the link between obedience and authoritarianism is Complex and can’t be concluded that an authoritarian personality causes obedience on the Basis of this result.
• POLITICAL BIAS

  The fundamental differences Between left-wing and right-wing ideologies centres around the Rights of individuals vs. The power Of the government. The ‘F’ scale measures the tendency Towards an extreme right-wing ideology, With the assumption that right wing People are prone to obedience.
• However, Christie & Jahoda (1954) Argued that the F-scale is a politically biased interpretation of Authoritarian Personality, when in reality left-wing Authoritarianism (e.g. Russian Bolshevick Or Chinese Maoism)the leaders of the Revolutionary proletariat of Russia, advocating violent Overthrow of capitalism (political system) also emphasises the Importance of complete obedience to Legitimate political authority
• LIMITATION – Adorno’s Theory is not a comprehensive Explanation as it doesn’t take in Account obedience to authority Across the whole political Spectrum.
• METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

  Adorno and his colleagues interviewed their participants about their childhood experiences. The interviews were vulnerable to interviewer bias. As the interviewers knew the hypothesis of the study, they were aware of what information they needed to confirm it. Knowing the participants' test scores as well meant that they knew in advance whether the interviewee was likely to have an authoritarian personality.
• LIMITATION – This means that their questioning would have been guided by this knowledge. They may even have recorded only the information they needed to confirm their hypothesis