Agentic State And Legitimacy Of Authority Content Flashcards
What was Milgram’s interest in obedience sparked by?
The trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 Nuremberg trials, whereby he claimed he was ‘just following orders’ in the death camps. It seemed very strange as he was a very normal person on the surface, so what was causing this inner-evil?
What did Milgram suggest about obedience from Eichmann’s trial?
That obeying a destructive authority occurs because a person doesn’t take responsibility, but instead feels that they are acting for someone else, like an agent
What is the opposite of an agentic state?
An autonomous (independent/free) state
How does a person in an autonomous state behave?
Free to behave according to their own principles and therefore feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions
What is the shift from ‘autonomy’ to ‘agency’ called?
The agentic shift
What did Milgram suggest about the agentic shift in 1974?
It occurs when someone perceived someone else as a figure of authority. This other person has greater power due to a higher position in the social hierarchy
When does an agentic shift often occur in social groups?
When there is clearly someone in charge, others defer to this person through the agentic shift
What do individuals feel in an agentic state?
‘Moral strain’ - participants’ conscience knows what they are doing is wrong but they are powerless to disobey, so blindly obey
You don’t feel responsibility as you believe the weight is off your shoulders as you are simply obeying your figure of authority
How did Milgram answer the question of why individuals remain in the agentic state?
Due to binding factors - aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effects of their behaviour and therefore reduce the ‘moral strain’ they are feeling
What are some of the binding factors Milgram proposed?
. Shifting responsibility to the victim
. Denying the damage done to the victim
How were binding factors observed in Milgram’s study?
Many of the participants spoke as if they wanted to quit but were somehow unable to
What must be said about the authority needed for an agentic state to occur?
It must be a legitimate authority
What two factors determine legitimacy of authority?
. Hierarchical structure of society allows agreed higher powers in society to exercise social power over others to keep society running smoothly
. Visual status of somebody or if they come from a high status environment
How was the experimenter from Milgram’s original study a legitimate authority?
He wore a lab coat (visual) and was from Yale (high status)
Why do we learn to accept legitimate authority?
As we learn it from childhood, from parents initially then teachers who make it clear that higher authorities are needed to keep society running smoothly e.g police and courts having the power to punish criminals
