Dispositional explanation for obedience

• dispositional explanation argues that people obey because they have a particular personality with characteristics that make them more likely to follow orders of an authority figure.
• dispositional explanation is an internal explanation for obedience
• what is the dispositional explanation for obedience called

  authoritarian personality
• 4 characteristics of the authoritarian personality

  • hostility to people perceived as lower status
  • respect to people perceived as higher status
  • a preoccupation with power
  • blind respect for authority
• Middendorp and Meloen (1990) argue that obedience/authoritarianism is the result of poor education, rather than personality dynamics. Milgram also found participants with lower education levels were more obedient.
• This theory has difficulty in explaining the widespread nature of obedience e.g. in classrooms, the workplace etc. It is unlikely that most of the population have experienced the harsh, punitive upbringing described by Adorno and are authoritarian personalities.