*Obedience: Situational Explanations Flashcards
What is an agentic state?
An agentic state is when a person acts for someone else, feeling powerless to disobey despite realizing their actions may be wrong.
This state can lead to high anxiety, known as moral strain.
What sparked Milgram’s interest in obedience?
Milgram’s interest was sparked by the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 for war crimes.
Eichmann was in charge of Nazi death camps and claimed he was ‘only following orders’.
What conclusion did Milgram draw about obedience to authority?
Milgram concluded that obedience to destructive authority occurs because individuals do not take responsibility, feeling as though they act for someone else.
What causes agentic states according to Milgram?
Agentic states can be caused by the division of labor, where individuals have specialized roles and look up to authority for directions.
What is the autonomous state?
The autonomous state is the opposite of the agentic state, where individuals behave according to their own principles and feel responsible for their actions.
What is an agentic shift?
An agentic shift is the transition from autonomy to agency, occurring when a person perceives someone as a figure of authority.
What are binding factors?
Binding factors are aspects of a situation that allow a person to ignore or minimize the damaging effects of their behavior, thereby reducing moral strain.
What strategies are used to reduce moral strain?
Strategies to reduce moral strain include:
* Shifting responsibilities to the victim
* Denying the damage caused.
What is legitimacy of authority?
Legitimacy of authority refers to the acceptance of social power held by individuals in certain positions, such as parents, police, and teachers.
What issues arise with destructive authority?
Problems arise when legitimate authority becomes destructive, leading individuals to behave in cruel or dangerous ways.
What happened during the My Lai Massacre in 1968?
In the My Lai Massacre, American soldiers killed 504 unarmed civilians, including gang rapes and destruction of property, with only Lt. William Calley facing charges.
What limitation does the agentic shift have according to critics?
The agentic shift does not explain why some participants did not obey or the findings of Hofling et al., where 21 out of 22 nurses obeyed unjustified demands.
What did Blass and Schmitt (2001) find in their study?
Blass and Schmitt found that students blamed the experimenter for harm done to the learner, attributing responsibility to legitimate authority.
How do cultural differences affect obedience according to research?
Cultural differences affect obedience, with studies showing varying rates of obedience to authority in different countries.
What did Kilham and Mann (1974) find in their replication of Milgram’s study in Australia?
Kilham and Mann found that only 16% of participants went all the way to 450 volts.
What did Mantell (1971) find regarding obedience in his study?
Mantell found that 85% of participants went all the way to 450 volts.
What does Kelman and Hamilton (1989) argue about the My Lai massacre?
Kelman and Hamilton argue that the My Lai massacre can be understood in terms of the power hierarchy of the US army.
