agentic state and legitimacy of authority

Question 1

what are the explanations for obedience

Answer 1

1) agentic state

2) legitimacy of authority

Question 2

define the agentic state

Answer 2

when and individual sees themselves as an agent carrying out another persons wishes

Question 3

outline the agentic state

Answer 3

1) when an individual doesn’t see themselves as being responsible for their own actions as they have attributed that responsibility to someone’s else, usually in authority
2) this causes the individual to experience an agentic shift form an autonomous state to an agentic state
3) this shift occurs as individuals want to maintain a positive self image- if an individual deems themselves as taking responsibility or an action which may tarnish their self image they are less likely to do it
4) if someone else takes responsibility individuals self image will remain positive so they remain guilt free and become more likely to complete an action and experience the agentic shift

Question 4

what are binding factors

Answer 4

1) something which keeps an individual in an agentic state
2) for example social etiquette- in order to disobey an individual must break a commitment to the individual and individuals don’t want to appear rude or arrogant
3) these emotions help bind the subject into obedience

Question 5

evaluate the agentic state

Answer 5

1) more likely to happen if an individual experiences loss of personal control- researchers claim that in some circumstances when an individual shows increased acceptance of external sources of control it is due to compensating for their loss of personal control. research demonstrated individuals with a reduction in personal control were more susceptible to the obedience of authority as well as bystander apathy. They concluded that the process of an agentic shift is not confined to obedience to authority but also extends to other forms of social influence where individuals feel less in control
2) agentic state or cruelty- other possibilities for pps actions were individuals conformed to express sadistic impulses. this belief was proven in the Stanford prison experiment where after just a few days cruelty of guards increased rapidly despite no significant authority figure instructing them to, This suggests for some individuals obedience occurs as an excuse to complete the desire to inflict harm on others, not just due to the agentic shift
3) provides an explanation for real-life obedience= explains the transition between german doctors acting in Auschwitz. the research found doctors gradually changed from an ordinary medical professionals into men and women capable of carrying out vile acts on prisoners- it was suggested that instead of the agentic shift being responsible for the changes that it was the repetition of carrying out vile acts over a long time which altered the way individuals acted

Question 6

define legitimacy of authority

Answer 6

a person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation

Question 7

evaluate legitimacy of authority

Answer 7

1) real-life example using aviation accidents- the study of data from the US national transportation safety board of all serious accidents between 1978 and 1990 were investigated where the black box was available and the flight crew was responsible for the crash They found an excessive dependence on the captain’s authority despite tragic consequences. This provides a real-life demonstration of the power of legitimate responsibility in enforcing obedience
2) supported by cultural differences - researchers found that in cultures such as Australia, where obedience to authority is less valued, have lower levels of obedience compared to Germany where it is is more valued which showed higher levels of obedice, this supports the idea that legitimacy of authority does play a role in obedience
3) critical evidence- Rank and Jacobson found only 2/18 nurses obeyed when a known drug of Valium was ordered at three times the recommended dose by their doctor