Evaluating Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority

Question 1

Fennis and Aarts (2012):

loss of personal control -

Answer 1

the agentic state may also be due to a reduction in personal control too resulting in ‘bystander apathy’ where they remain passive

Question 2

Lifton (1986):
Staub (1989):
The agentic state and real life obedience -

Answer 2

found in his study of German doctors in Auschwitz that ordinary doctors soon became able to carry out vile and lethal experiments on their patients.
Staub concluded that it’s the act of carrying out vile acts for a long time that changes how people think and behave

Question 3

legitimate authority and real life obedience:

Answer 3

legitimacy can serve as the basis for justification of harming others because if people authorise someone else to make their judgements, they no longer consider their own moral values as relevant