Lesson 8 - Explanations of Obedience (Agentic state and Legitimate Authority)

Question 1

Adolf Eichmann

Answer 1

At the Nuremberg Trials, Eichmann who was in charge of a Nazi camp defended himself by saying that he was just giving orders (acting as an agent)

Question 2

Who proposed Agentic State Theory?

Answer 2

Proposed by Milgram

Question 3

What is the Agentic State Theory?

Answer 3

Milgram explained that people operate in two different ways in social situations

Autonomic state - we act as independent individuals, aware of our consequences and act knowing we will be held accountable

Agentic State - We carry out orders on behalf of an authority figure, with no personal responsibility

Question 4

The agentic shift

Answer 4

The shift between autonomic and agent states

Question 5

How does the agent shift occur?

Answer 5

Due to social hierarchy, as we perceive someone else to be a figure of authority.

Question 6

Why do we stay in the agent state?

Answer 6

Milgram argued that we stay in the agent state due to binding factors

These factors can include aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore the ‘moral stain’ of their actions and shift responsibility to the victim, like ‘Why did he take part in this?’. This solidifies that they are purely following orders

Question 7

Strengths of the Agentic State

Answer 7

Makes sense in explaining why we obey authority. Blass and Schmidt (2001) showed a film of Milgram’s experiment to some students and asked them who was responsible for hurting Mr. Wallace. The students blamed the experimenter and noted that the experimenter was a scientist - higher up in the social hierarchy and therefore an authority figure. The pps were merely agents.

Question 8

Weaknesses of the Agentic State

Answer 8

• It does not explain findings of participants not obeying the authority figure, and also, in Hofling’s study, where one nurse did not give the prescribed drug, even though the doctor was of a higher position
• Mandel (1998) refuted the idea that the agent state can be used to explain behaviours of the Nazis. He used an incident concerning the German Reserve Royal Battalion, where 101 men obeyed orders to shoot civilians in Poland. These were not direct orders and they were given the choice. They still preferred to carry out the killings, showing that they were aware of their own personal responsibility and were not acting as an agent on behalf of anyone else.

Question 9

Legitimate Authority

Answer 9

People hold certain positions of authority in society, such as parents, teachers and the police. We are conditioned from a young age to obey these ‘legitimate’ authority figures, because we feel as if we should trust them or fear punishment. However, these people are granted the power to punish people, like the police and courts. Uniforms are often a symbol of authority, like the lab coat. Legitimate authority can be destructive, like Hitler and the Holocaust, and Milgram’s study.

Question 10

Strengths of Legitimate Authority

Answer 10

• We need these legitimate authority figures to have a functional society and a civilised nation, like the police, who help prevent crime.
• It can also help explain real situations, like the My Lai massacre (Kelman and Hamilton, 1989), where the US army killed 504 civilians, and women were gang-raped. The village was burned and animals were killed. Only one soldier was found guilty and charged, and he said he was only following his orders. This therefore shows that the hierarchical structure of the US army and legitimate authority of the higher-ups caused this.
• Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated Milgram’s study in Australia, and found that 16% went to full voltage, and Mantell (1971) found an 85% obedience rate in Germany. This therefore shows that cultural differences in perceived authority differ due to different upbringings and societal structures.

Question 11

Weaknesses of Legitimate Authority

Answer 11

• Not all legitimate authority figures should be obeyed. Sometimes, even though we disagree with an order, we will still follow it. For example, Harold Shipman, a doctor, was a trusted legitimate authority figure, and he was able to kill over 200 patients without suspicion as he was trusted. Therefore we should teach our children to question authority and not blindly trust of follow orders.