Obedience

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order. The person issuing the order is usually a figure of authority, who has power to punish when obedient behaviour is not forthcoming.

Question 2

Give three situational variables

Answer 2

• Proximity
• Location
• Uniform

Question 3

What is the agentic state?

Answer 3

A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure. This frees us from the demands of our consequences and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure

Question 4

What is the autonomous state?

Answer 4

When a person is free to behave according to their own principles and therefore feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions

Question 5

What are binding factors?

Answer 5

Aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and thus reduce the ‘moral strain’ they are feeling.

Question 6

What is legitimacy of authority?

Answer 6

An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. This authority is just oxford by the individuals position of power within a social hierarchy.

Question 7

What is destructive authority?

Answer 7

When legitimate authority becomes destructive, meaning they use their authority for destructive purposes, ordering people to act in ways that are callous, cruel, stupid and dangerous.

Question 8

What is a strength of the legitimacy of authority explanation?

Answer 8

It is a useful account of cultural differences in obedience.
Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated Milgrams procedure in Australia and found only 16% of their participants went to the top of the voltage scale
This shows that in some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals.