Agency theory of obedience Flashcards
Agency theory, agentic state - P1, A01
Agency theory is an explanation for obedience which states that we undergo agentic shift from an autonomous to an agentic state when we act as an agent for authority figures.
For much of the time we are in an autonomous state. The autonomous state is a psychological state where a person acts on their own free will (not under the direction of others), taking responsibility for their decisions and actions.
Individuals operate autonomously when we are on our own, with peers or with people we perceive as below us in the social hierarchy.
The agentic shift is when a person follows the orders of an authority figure. In the agentic state we become the agent of the authority figure and do as we are ordered to even if it goes against our moral conscience.
Strength of agency theory, agentic state - P1, A03
This is supported by Milgram’s 1963 study.
100% of the participants used in his study administered a shock of 300V to a confederate as a punishment for making a mistake on a word learning task.
65% of participants went up to the final shock of 450V switch, beyond the shock labelled ‘danger, extreme shock’.
This supports an agentic state as no ordinary human would deliver harmful shocks to a victim if acting autonomously, so they must have been in an agentic state to do so.
COUNTER ARGUMENT TO Strength of agency theory, agentic state - P1, A03
However, One weakness of using agency theory as an explanation of obedience is that the theory does not explain individual differences.
The theory does not account for the reasons as to why some people obey and some people do not.
If an individual has an internal locus of control, they are less likely to obey an authority figure as they believe they responsibility for their actions lies with them and not an authority figure and has a large amount of personal control over the things which they do.
This means that agency theory is unable to explain the reasons why 35% of Milgram’s participants do not obey as it does not take into account factors which affect obedience. So is not a complete explanation for obedience.
Moral strain - P2, A01
Agency theory explains that when in an agentic state we can experience moral strain.
Moral strain is a psychological state of anxiety felt when asked to do something that you would not choose voluntarily.
There are symptoms of anxiety which can develop especially when individuals are obeying orders which result in harm.
For most people moral strain is not enough for them to go against the authority figure who is giving them orders.
Strength of moral strain - P2, A03
This is supported by Milgram’s research as during the study he observed participants trembling, nervously laughing and one had a seizure.
This means that there is study evidence to support Milgram’s suggestion that in the face of legitimate authority people are highly likely to carry out orders, despite experiencing high levels of moral strain.
Displacement of responsibility - P3, A01
Agency theory also explains that we believe we are acting on the behalf of an authority figure and so responsibility for our actions lies with them.
This is known as displacement of responsibility. Displacement of responsibility is when an individual blames the authority figure rather than taking responsibility, to remove moral strain.
This could lead to reduced anxiety for the individual as they feel as if the consequences of their actions are the authority figures fault and not their own.
Weakness of agency theory - P4, A03
One weakness of using agency theory as an explanation of obedience is that the agentic shift does not appear to be inevitable.
Rank and Jacobson 1977 found that 16 out of 18 (89)% nurses disobeyed a doctor who ordered them to administer an overdose of the drug Valium.
Despite the doctor being an obvious source of authority, the vast majority of the sample remained autonomous.
This means that there is study evidence data which shows that the nurses did consider themselves responsible for their actions so no agentic shift has taken place.
