weaknesses

• not all authoritarian


  -Milgram found differences in characteristics of AP & those of obedient Ps in study

  -unlikely the 65% of Ps that fully obeyed had all experienced harsh parenting & had authoritarian personalities

  -Ps asked about upbringing not being raised by overly strict family

  -situational factors also explain obedience
• weak evidence


  -showed situational factors very important in obedience

  -findings show changing situation effects obedience levels > challenging dispositional explanation
• AP not real like explanation 


  -Adorno uses AP to explain anti-semitic behaviour

  -highly unlikely all of Germany possessed same personality

  -social identity explains obedience

  -Germans identified with anti-semitic Nazi state & consequently scapegouted to outgrop Jews

  -AP doesn't explain real obedience
• methodological issues


  -F scale questions all worded in same direction

  -tendency to agree

  -no filler questions (risk of demand characteristics)

  -no lie detection questions (risk of social desirability bias)

  -lack internal validity