Agency Theory Flashcards
1
Q
What is agency theory?
A
Agency theory says that people will obey an authority when they believe that the authority will take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, this is supported by some aspects of milgrams study
2
Q
What do the following terms mean?
Agentic state
Autonomous state
Agentic shift
Moral strain
A
Agentic state- being the agent of another and therefore obeying their orders
Agentic shift - when a person goes from the autonomous state to the agentic
Autonomous state- when you take control of own behaviour and feel responsible and aware of consequences
Moral strain - an unpleasant sensation resulting from pressure to obey order to commit an immoral act
3
Q
Strengths and weaknesses of agency theory
A
Strengths:
- shows diff levels of obed found in var. in basic study part claimed not to be resp but in other var the obed decrease when they had to physically get involved i.e. Holding hand down
- helps to explain historical events
Weaknesses:
- other explanation of obedience
- more descriptive of how society works than an explanation
