Authoritarian personality - AO3

Cards (4)

  • Strength: Research support
    What? Evidence from Milgram
    Who? Milgram and Elms - interviewed obedient participants from obedience studies; scored higher on F-scale than disobedient participants
    Why? Supports obedient people similar to those w/ Authoritarian personality
  • Counterpoint: Research support
    What? Obedient participants had characteristics unusual for authoritarians
    Who? Didn't experience extreme punishment in childhood
    Why? Complex link between obedience and authoritarianism
  • Limitation: Limited explanation
    What? Cannot explain obedient behaviour in the majority of a country's behaviour
    Who? Pre-war Germany - millions obedient and anti-semitic; not all authoritarian - alternative view = majority scapegoated Jews (SIT)
    Why? Alternative explanation more realistic - social identity theory (SIT)
  • Limitation: Political bias
    What? F-scale biased towards extreme right-wing ideology
    Who? Christie and Jahoda - politically biased; extreme right-wing and left-wing similar
    Why? Adorno's theory not comprehensive dispositional explanation for obedience