Obedience - dispositional explanations

• The authoritarian personality

  • Adorno et al argued that people with an AP show an extreme respect and submissiveness for authority. They view society as weak and believe that we need powerful leaders to enforce traditional values. 
  • People with AP also show contempt for those of inferior social status. They have black and white thinking. People who are different to them are to blame for the ills of society and are a convinient target for APs.
• Origins of the AP

  • The AP forms in childhood, as a result of strict parenting with conditional love, and impossible high standards. 
  • These childhood experiences create resentment and hostility in a child. The child cannot express these feelings to their parents as they fear punishment. Their feelings are displaced onto those they perceive as weaker, through scapegoating. 
  • Psychodynamic explanation. 
• Adorno et al's research

  1. Studied more than 2000 middle class white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other ethnic groups

  2. Developed a potential-for-fascism F scale

  3. Example of F scale: "obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues for children"
• People who scored high on the F scale

  • Identified as strong and were negative about weak people
  • Showed extreme respect to those of a higher status
  • Had black and white thinking and had distinct stereotypes on others
  • Strong correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice
• Evaluation

  • Strength - Milgrim interviewed people from the original procedure and they took the F scale. The 20 people scored higher than a disobedient group of 20, proves that APs are highly obedient. 
  • Limitation - In nazi germany, millions of germans portrayed anti Semitic and obedient behaviour, it is impossible that they were all APs, perhaps they identified with the Nazi state and scapegoated Jews. (Social identity theory approach)
  • Limitation - Jahoda and Christie claim that the F scale only shows far right obedience. Adorno does not account for obedience towards left wing authority. 


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