Briefly outline and evaluate authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience to authority.

A personality type consisting of traits whereby individuals are obedient to those of a higher status. These individuals have conventional views and have strict adherence to social values. This personality is associated with individuals who have experienced strict upbringings. However it is hard to establish cause and effect between struct upbringings and authoritarianism, the relationship is simply correlational. Furthermore, this explanation is unable to account for obedience of larger groups and whole societies.