Agency Theory

Question 1

What does Milgram say about agency theory?

Answer 1

• People will obey orders when they believe the person giving them is perceived as a legitimate authority figure

Question 2

How is obedience an important behaviour in psychology?

Answer 2

• Usually used to keep others and ourselves safe e.g speed limits

Question 3

What does agentic state mean?

Answer 3

Where a person will blindly follow the orders of an authority figure
- remove their free will
- remove any feeling of responsibility and feel justified in carrying out actions

Question 4

How does the agentic state occur?

Answer 4

When confronted with a person they percieve as having legitimate authority and begin to act as an ‘agent’ on behalf of the authority figure

Question 5

What do people in the agentic state believe?

Answer 5

That the authority figure is responsible for their actions and therefore won’t be held accountable

Question 6

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 6

When not in the presence of an authority figure
- People behave independently and feel responsible for the consequences, making decisions according to their own freewill

Question 7

What do people in the agentic state that commit destructive obedience

Answer 7

May experience moral strain and shuns of psychological and physical anxiety as their behaviour conflicts with their beliefs about right and wrong

Question 8

How can obedience be seen as a survival value and how does natural selection play a role?

Answer 8

NS favoured those creatures who fitted into the social hierarchy and avoided confrontation, maintaining social harmony

Question 9

CREDIBILITY
- MILGRAM 1961 study variations

Answer 9

• 65% of participants shocked the actor to 450 volts obeying the orders of the researcher who wore a lab coat as a symbol of an legitimate authority
• Some showed moral strain
• Participants believed that the responsibility would be with the researcher

Question 10

CREDIBILITY
- Milgram variations

Answer 10

• When the experiment was done in civilian clothes, in a run down office
• Obedience dropped to 45%

Question 11

CREDIBILITY
-Burger 2009

Answer 11

Repeated in 2009 to see if people were still as obedient and got similar results
- 70% obedience

Question 12

OBJECTION
- Agency theory doesn’t explain what?

Answer 12

The process of obedience

Question 13

OBJECTION/DIFFERENCE
- What does SIT state that Agency theory doesn’t?

Answer 13

SIT doesn’t just state having an a.f but its to do with the S,N and I

Question 14

DIFFERENCE
- Social Impact Theory

Answer 14

• It looks at multiple factors of force and uses a formula to predict when obedience occurs

Question 15

OBJECTION
- Theordore Adornos Authority Personality

Answer 15

Some individuals are born with a personality type and naturally look up to strong leadership and for the need to be obedient

Question 16

APPLICATION
- How can it help fight prejudice

Answer 16

Obeying orders from positive role models, can help fight against prejudice
- Seen in sports, no racism in football

Question 17

CONCLUSION

Answer 17

• Basic theory with simplistic views in a one-on-one situation with an authority figure
  -SIT shows more complex social group and obedience levels.
  This has led to further research but it is too reductionist

Question 18

Describe the agentic state in agency theory

Answer 18

• Individual acts as an agent for the authority figure
• Displaces responsibility of their actions onto the authority figure
• Likely to obey
• E.G: the 65% in Milgram’s study who obeyed to give 450v electric shocks to the actor

Question 19

Why can agency theory be argued to be reductionist?

Answer 19

• Doesn’t consider the S/I/N of sources, personality, culture…
• Doesn’t explain why not everyone experiences agentic shift

Question 20

Describe the autonomous state in agency theory

Answer 20

• Individual acts upon their own free will and will disobey if they don’t want to complete an order
• Full responsibility of their actions
• E.G: 35% withdrew from Milgram’s experiment

Question 21

Why is agency theory not a very scientific theory?

Answer 21

Components are all mental states which are difficult to operationalise and measure
- Lack empirical evidence of their existence

Question 22

Using Agency Theory, why did Tom listen to his teacher…

Answer 22

Agency theory would explain that Mrs Smith is an authority figure who has given Tom an order (1)
Tom would have chosen not to run errands if in an autonomous state, but will experience moral strain if he refuses to obey (1).
Therefore moral strain will cause an agentic shift and Tom will become an agent for Mrs Smith (1).
Any negative aspects associated with his obedience, such as not doing his homework, will be displaced on to Mrs Smith