agency theory: theory of obedience

Question 1

what is the autonomous state

Answer 1

-when someone take responsibility for their actions
-so they feel guilt for what they do

Question 2

what is the agentic state

Answer 2

-when someone obeys an authority figure
-they act against their conscience
-so they feel no guilt as the authority figure is responsible for their behaviour

Question 3

what is the agentic shift

Answer 3

-when someone moves from the autonomous state to the agentic state
-they do this to stop moral strain

Question 4

what is moral strain

Answer 4

-the feeling of guilt someone gets when an authority figure orders them to do something against their conscience

Question 5

AO3 STRENGTH- how is agency theory supported by milgram

Answer 5

-participants showed moral strain when they did nervous laughter
-they showed agentic state when they obeyed the authority figure (65% went to 450V)

Question 6

AO3 WEAKNESS- how is agency theory useful

Answer 6

-it allows us to understand atrocities like the holocaust where guards in concentration camps didn’t feel personally responsible for their actions as they were obeying an authority figure (agentic state)

Question 7

AO3 WEAKNESS- agency theory ignores ______ ________ like __________ _______ so it isn’t a _______ explanation of ________

Answer 7

-individual differences like authoritarian personality
-so it isn’t a complete explanation of obedience

Question 8

AO3 WEAKNESS- agency theory isn’t ________ as agentic and autonomous states can’t be ________

Answer 8

-empirical
-measured

Question 9

AO3 WEAKNESS- how is agency theory worse than social impact theory

Answer 9

-it doesn’t take into account as many situational factors like the number of authority figures