Authority Flashcards
Agentic state
‘A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure.’
Eichmann
He was in charge of Nazi death camps and his defence was that he was only obeying orders (agentic state).
What did Milgram propose about obedience to destructive authority?
That it occurs because a person doesn’t take responsibility, they are acting for someone else (become an ‘agent’). This agent experiences high anxiety when they realise that what they are doing it wrong.
Autonomous state
‘To be independent or free’
Agentic shift
Shift from autonomy to agency
Binding factors
‘Aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour’
Legitimacy of authority
‘An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us’
When do we learn legitimacy of authority?
From childhood (parents) and then teachers/other adults.
Destructive authority
When people use their legitimate authority for destructive purposes (eg Hitler and Stalin).
Wesley Kilham and Leon Mann (1974)
Found that only 16% of Australian women went up to 450V
David Mantell (1971)
Found that 85% of German participants went up to 450V
Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986)
Similar aim to Milgram. Focused on psychological harm rather than physical harm. Participants asked to help ‘interview’ a job applicant who was a confederate. Participant asked confederate general knowledge questions. Made the participant think that they were lying to the confederate. If confederate answered wrong, participant had to give 1 of 7 stress remarks.
92%
These participants carried on with the experiment regardless of the confederate becoming visibly stressed.
39
The number of participants used in Meeus & Raajjmakers’ experiment. The participants were a mix of ages and genders to make it generalised.
Lacks ecological validity
The task was unfamiliar to the participants who performed it in an artificial environment.
Disposition
‘Any explanation of behaviour that highlights the individual’s personality’
Theodor Adorno
Authoritarian Personality. His ideas stemmed from anti-Semitic Germany- link between ‘collective ideologies’ and the personalities of individuals.
Psychodynamic approach to Authoritarian Personality
Importance of childhood experiences, unconscious motives and desires, the person is seen as dynamic or constantly changing.
Origins of Authoritarian Personality
Develops from childhood, harsh parenting, expectations of loyalty, severe criticism of failing and conditional love.
Repressed feelings of fear, resentment and hostility in children
These feelings would be displaced onto others, especially those seen as socially inferior (minority groups, the poor or unemployed).
Adorno et al (1950)
Devised the F-scale (fascism scale) to measure the authoritarian personality.
2000
Adorno studied more than this number of middle-class white Americans
Adorno’s Findings
Found that those who scored highly had characteristics of the authoritarian personality.
Features of authoritarian personality
Highly conventional attitudes towards sex, race and gender. Uncomfortable towards uncertainty. Extreme respect for authority and submissiveness to it. Want strong leaders to enforce traditional values. Inflexible in their outlook.
