LS8 - Explanations Of Obedience

Question 1

2 Main Explanations Of Obedience

Answer 1

Agentic State Theory

Legitimacy Of Authority

Question 2

An Agent

Answer 2

Can be defined as someone who acts for/in place of someone else.

Question 3

Agentic State Theory

Answer 3

This theory explains the importance of responsibility and argues that people operate in 2 ways: The Agentic State & The Autonomic State

Question 4

Autonomic State

Answer 4

The state in which someone is acting as an individual and is aware of the consequences of their actions and make decisions knowing they’l be help accountable for the consequences.

Question 5

Agentic State

Answer 5

State in which a person carries out orders with little personal responsibility, they see themselves under authority and the figure of authority as responsible for their actions.

Question 6

Agentic Shift

Answer 6

The change from the autonomic state to the agentic state. Milgram suggested it happens because an individual perceives someone else as a figure of authority, because of their position in a social hierarchy.

Question 7

Binding Factors

Answer 7

It’s why individuals remain in the agentic state, and they are aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore the damaging effects of their behaviour and thus reduce the moral strain they are feeling and shifting the responsibility to the victim, helping them feel calm.

Question 8

Agentic State Strengths

Answer 8

Research Support

Question 9

Research Support (+)

Answer 9

Blass & Schmitt (2001) showed Milgram’s study to students asking them who was responsible for harming Mr Wallace and the student blamed the experimenter, because of his position in the social hierarchy, indicating the pps were merely agents following orders from an authoritative figure.

Question 10

Agentic State Weaknesses

Answer 10

Refuting Evidence
Doesn’t Explain Other Findings

Question 11

Doesn’t Explain Other Findings (-)

Answer 11

It doesn’t explain why one of nurses in Holfling’s study the drug prescribed by the doctor as he was higher up in the social hierarchy, and the nurse was merely an agent.

Question 12

Refuting Evidence (-)

Answer 12

The Nazi’s behaviour can be explained by the agentic state e.g. Mandel (1998) explained 1 incident involving German Reserve Police Battalion 101 where men obeyed orders to shoot civilians in Poland, they weren’t given direct orders to do so and had the choice to opt out, but the police still continued, which shows the agentic state theory doesn’t explain obedience since the police weren’t acting as agents, so why did they still decide to shoot.