1.7 Dispositional Explanations for Obedience

• What is the key personality trait associated with dispositional explanations for obedience?

  Authoritarian Personality
• Individuals with an authoritarian personality may be more likely to follow orders without questioning them
• An authoritarian personality is characterized by a strong respect for authority and rigid adherence to conventional values.
• What are the key traits of an authoritarian personality?

  Respect for authority
• The authoritarian personality includes adherence to conventional values
• An individual with an authoritarian personality might strictly enforce rules at work.
• How does harsh parenting influence the development of an authoritarian personality?

  Encourages identification with authority
• Children experiencing harsh parenting may displace their aggression onto weaker groups
• Steps in the development of an authoritarian personality

  1️⃣ Harsh parenting

  2️⃣ Identification with authority

  3️⃣ Displacement of aggression

  4️⃣ Unconditional obedience
• What did Milgram's research find regarding authoritarian traits and obedience?

  Higher F-scale scores correlated with obedience
• Dispositional explanations for obedience are criticized for overlooking situational factors like proximity and social norms.
• What is the key characteristic of the authoritarian personality according to dispositional explanations?

  Respect for authority
• Authoritarian personalities adhere to conventional beliefs
• Match the characteristics of the authoritarian personality with their explanations:

  Respect for Authority ↔️ Deep admiration for power

  Adherence to Conventional Values ↔️ Commitment to traditional beliefs

  Aggression towards Subordinates ↔️ Tendency to punish lower in hierarchy

  Rigid Belief System ↔️ Inflexible and unchanging beliefs
• Match the factors influencing the authoritarian personality with their effects:

  Harsh Parenting ↔️ Encourages identification with authority

  Displacement of Aggression ↔️ Transfers anger to weaker targets

  Unconditional Obedience ↔️ Leads to unquestioning compliance
• What is the key concept underlying dispositional explanations for obedience?

  Authoritarian Personality
• A key characteristic of the authoritarian personality is respect for authority
• Individuals with an authoritarian personality are tolerant of different views.

  False
• What type of belief system is associated with the authoritarian personality?

  Rigid
• Match the characteristic of the authoritarian personality with its explanation:

  Respect for Authority ↔️ A deep admiration for those in positions of power.

  Adherence to Conventional Values ↔️ A commitment to traditional beliefs and customs.

  Aggression towards Subordinates ↔️ Tendency to punish those lower in the hierarchy.
• An individual with an authoritarian personality might strictly enforce rules and demand complete compliance
• Steps in the development of the authoritarian personality:

  1️⃣ Harsh parenting characterized by strict discipline

  2️⃣ Identification with authority figures to avoid punishment

  3️⃣ Displacement of aggression onto weaker groups

  4️⃣ Unconditional obedience to authority
• Which research study provides evidence supporting dispositional explanations for obedience?

  Milgram's experiment
• F-scale scores are positively correlated with obedience levels.
• What is a strength of dispositional explanations for obedience?

  Correlation with obedience
• A weakness of dispositional explanations is that they oversimplify the complexity of human behavior
• Dispositional explanations have limited generalizability due to their focus on specific personality traits.
• What is the primary focus of situational explanations for obedience?

  External factors
• Match the explanation for obedience with its type:

  Dispositional Explanation ↔️ Authoritarian Personality

  Situational Explanation ↔️ Proximity to Authority