Obedience- Situational explanations Flashcards
What is the agentic state?
A mental state, in which we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe we are acting for an authority figure
What is an agent?
Someone who acts for or in place of another
What is moral strain?
When people realise what they are doing is wrong, but feel powerless to disobey
What is the autonomous state?
A mental state, in which we are free to behave according to our own principles, and feel a sense of responsibility for our actions
What is an agentic shift?
The shift from autonomy to agency
When does an agentic shift occur?
Milgram- occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure
What is legitimacy of authority?
Obedience explanation, which suggests we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
What are binding factors?
Aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effects of their behaviour, reduce moral strain
What is a hierarchial society?
People in certain positions within society hold authority over the rest of us
What do we collectively accept about authority figures?
We accept that they are allowed to exercise social power over others because this allows society to function smoothly
What is destructive authority?
When people use their legitimate powers for destructive purposes- ordering people to behave in ways that are cruel and dangerous
What evidence is there that destructive authority is present in Milgram’s study?
The experimenter used prods to order participants to behave in ways that went against their conscience
What are the strengths of the agentic state explanation?
- Research support- Milgram
What are the limitations of the agentic state explanation?
- Limited explanation (Rank and Jacobson)
What are the strengths of the legitimacy explanation?
- Explains cultural differences
What are the limitations of the legitimacy explanation?
- Cannot explain all (dis)obedience
STRENGTH-
I- Research support
Agentic state
D- Most of Milgram’s participants resisted shocks and asked experimenter about responsibility. Experimenter replied ‘I am responsible’ and participant continued with procedure
E- Shows when participants perceived they were no longer responsible, they more easilt acted as the experimenter’s agent
LIMITATION-
I- Limited explanation
Agentic state
D- Rank and Jacobson found that 16/18 nurses disobeyed orders froma doctor to administer an excessive drug dose to a patient. Despite doctor’s authority, nurses remained autonomous
E- Suggests agentic shift only accounts for some situations of obedience
STRENGTH-
I- Explains cultural differences
Legitmacy of authority
D- Kilham and Mann found 16% of Australian women went up to 450V in a Milgram-style study. Mantell found 85% for Germans
E- Shows in some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate
LIMITATION-
I- Cannot explain all (dis)obedience
Legitimacy of authority
D- Nurses in Rank and Jacobson’s study were mostly disobedient despite working in a rigidly hierarchical authority structure. Significant minority diosbeyed despite recognising the experimenter’s scientific authority
E- Suggests obedience is due to dispositional factors- some are simply more obedient than others
