Obedience 1.1.1 Agency Theory

Question 1

Define the ‘autonomous state’

Answer 1

We act under our our own power, decisions are based off of our own ideas of responsibility and morality. Acting out of own freewill

Question 2

Define the ‘agentic state’.

Answer 2

Reductionist; doesn’t account for factors eg culture, personality.
We give up on our freewill, act under the authority of a superior in our hierarchy, we defer our responsibility of our actions to others as they’re in charge so superiors take blame.

Question 4

Define the ‘agentic shift’.

Answer 4

Process of leaving the autonomous state and entering the agentic state through surrendering free will to an authority figure.

Question 5

Define ‘moral strain’.

Answer 5

State of anxiety experienced in agentic state when an individual’s actions conflict wih their personal morals

Question 6

Define ‘differed responsibility’

Answer 6

When an individual puts the blame/responsibility of the consequences of their actions carried out in the agentic state on someone else and is often referred to as a ‘scapegoat’

Question 7

Explain Milgram’s findings via agency theory

Answer 7

• Ppts went through the agentic shift as they were following orders given by an authority figure.
• They were also put under moral strain due to administering the shocks which is what caused the nervous laughter out of stress.
• They also differed the responsibility to the experimenter as a defense mechanism to rationalise what they were doing.

Question 8

EACH- Evidence

Answer 8

1. P- Milgram’s (1963) supports
   E- 65% of pps followed the authority figure’s order of administering the full 450V shock, despite knowing the fatal consequences.
   E- Supports agency theory,suggests that the pps were in the agentic state as they relinquished all free will and deferred the responsibility and consequence of their actions of giving potentially fatal shocks to the authority figure as they have a superior ordering them to act.
2. P-Hofling’s (1966) study supports
   E- 95% of nurses followed a superiors orders and administered an overdose to patient.
   E-Supports agency theory as it suggests that the nurses were in the agentic state due to the doctor being seen as a legitimate authority figure, encouraging obedience.

Question 9

EACH-Application

Answer 9

A-
P- Yes
E- It removes the prejudice and accountability of Nazi’s due to them surrendering their free will to Hitler during WW2
E-It shows agentic state is applicable in everyday life, explains why obedience can be used for bad and good actions

Question 10

EACH-Criticisms

Answer 10

1. P-Reductionist
   E-Doesn’t explain why 35% of pps in Milgram’s (1963) refused to administer full 450v shock
   E- Also doesn’t explain disobedience so the theory may be too simplistic
   2.P- Deterministic
   E-Agency theory states that people give up their free will when entering the agentic state and so aren’t in control of their emotions
   E-However, people are more complex, and individual differences allow them to make their own decisions, ignores societal value of free will

Question 11

EACH-How?

Answer 11

1. P- Milgram’s (1963) has low credibility
   E-Only 65% carried out full 450V shock
   E- Agency theory doesn’t account for 35% of pps who refused to administer full 450V shocks. May be explained better by other credible explanations eg Authoritarian personality theory whereby dispositional factors eg personality can explain why ppl obey/disobey.
   2.P- Hofling’s (1966) study has high ecological validity
   E- Study was a field experiment in a hospital, so the nurses acted naturally when given instructions to administer an overdose
   E- Strength because it decreases demand characteristics as it reflects how the 95% would act in real life situations.