agency theory

Question 1

who developed the agency theory

Answer 1

Milgram

Question 2

what was the agency theory a response to

Answer 2

to Nazi war crimes, especially the trials of Adolf Eichmann

Question 3

what 2 states does the agency theory suggest people have

Answer 3

autonomous

agentic

Question 4

what is the autonomous mindset

Answer 4

we perceive ourselves as being responsible for our own behaviour so we feel guilt for what our actions

Question 5

what is the agentic mindset

Answer 5

the person who is commanding orders is responsible for our actions

Question 6

what does an authority figure trigger

Answer 6

it triggers the agentic shift into the agentic state

Question 7

what is moral strain

Answer 7

a person’s state of distress when in the agentic shift as the action goes against their moral beliefs

Question 8

what are the 4 defence mechanisms that could lessen the moral strain

Answer 8

denial

avoidance

degree of involvement

helping the learner

Question 9

what does ‘degree of involvement’ mean in terms of a defence mechanism that lessens the moral strain

Answer 9

to reduce participation in the behaviour to reduce the blame

Question 10

why is moral strain not an issue in the agentic state

Answer 10

we regard the authority as now being responsible for our actions

Question 11

what is the evolutionary explanation of the agency theory

Answer 11

obedience is a survival trait that enabled early humans to flourish and those who were not obedient would not have the genes to pass down

Question 12

what is the supporting evidence for agency theory

Answer 12

Burger 2009
Variation 5 (victim has a heart problem)
70% of those were obedient
shows that empathy doesn’t make people disobedient it just increases moral strain which makes people find comfort in the agentic state as they can blame the conductor

Question 13

what is the evidence that disagrees with the agency theory

Answer 13

Milgram and Elms 1966
authoritarian personality type that admired rules and was inclined to obey

Question 14

what is the application to agency theory

Answer 14

‘all Germans are different hypothesis?’

shows that the hypothesis is false and that obedience to genocidial orders can happen in any place

reduces prejudice to Germans and creates more peace and understanding in the world

Question 15

how much lower is obedience in America compared to non-American countries (Thomas Blass (2012)

Answer 15

5%

Question 16

what other study could be seen as a better explanation compared to the agency theory

Answer 16

social impact theory

it has other factors which can contribute to why people become obedient such as numbers and immediacy of orders, which shows that the authority is not the only factor to blame

Question 17

‘how good is the research’ of the agency theory

Answer 17

Burger and Milgram are both lab experiments so will have standardised procedures and have quantitative results which can easily be compared and have more objectivity