Agentic state and legitimate authority Flashcards
What is the social-psychological explanation?
Concerns the influence of others on an individual’s behaviour, rather than external factors in the situation
Who proposed the agentic theory?
Milgram
What is meant by the agentic theory?
We act as an agent in response to someone in authority
- Easy to deny personal responsibility for our action
What are the ways in which people can act according to the agentic theory?
- Autonomous state
- Agentic state
Define the autonomous state:
Individuals direct their own behaviour, and take responsibility for the consequences
Define the agentic state:
Individuals allow someone else to direct their behaviour – they pass responsibility to them
What is the agentic shift according to the agentic theory?
People move from the autonomous state into the agentic state when confronted with an authority figure.
What is binding factors?
Aspects of the situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour.
What are two theories of social-psychological explanation?
- Agentic State
- Legitimacy Theory
Define Legitimate:
Being in compliance with the law
Being in accordance with established or accepted patterns and standards
Based on logical reasoning
Authentic; genuine
Define Legitimacy of Authority:
An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are m-ore likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
-Authority is justified by individuals position of power
What were the three main factors to explain obedience suggested by Kelman and Hamilton (1989)?
Legitimacy of the system
Legitimacy of authority within the system
Legitimacy of demands or orders given
What is a legitimacy of the system?
This concerns the extent to which the ‘body’ is a legitimate source of authority
What is an example of legitimacy of the system?
Government
Army
School
What is the legitimacy of authority within the system?
Power of individuals hold to give orders because of their position in the system
Linked with status
