Obedience: Situational Explanations Flashcards
What is the agentic state?
When a person acts on behalf of someone else and does not feel personally responsible for their actions.
What is the autonomous state?
When a person is independent, acts according to their own principles, and feels responsible for their actions.
What is the agentic shift?
The transition from an autonomous state to an agentic state when a person perceives someone as an authority figure.
Why does the agentic shift happen?
Because the authority figure has power due to their position in a social hierarchy.
What are binding factors?
Strategies that reduce ‘moral strain’ and allow individuals to ignore or minimize the harmful effects of their behavior.
Give two examples of binding factors.
-Shifting responsibility to the victim.
-Denying the damage being done.
Why do people obey authority figures according to legitimacy of authority ?
Because society is structured hierarchically, and we recognize certain figures (e.g., parents, teachers, police) as having legitimate power.
Why is authority considered legitimate?
Because society agrees that certain people should exercise power to maintain order.
What do we give up when we accept legitimate authority?
Some of our independence, trusting authority figures to use their power properly.
How do we learn to accept authority?
Through childhood experiences with parents, teachers, and other authority figures.
How can legitimate authority be used destructively?
Some leaders (e.g., Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot) have used their power to order cruel and dangerous actions.
Strength of AGENTIC STATE (situational explanation)
One strength is that the agentic state explanation has research support.
Most of Milgram’s participants asked the ‘Experimenter’, Who is responsible if Mr Wallace (the Learner) is harmed?
When the Experimenter replied ‘I’m responsible’ the participants went through the procedure quickly without objecting.
This shows participants acted more easily as an agent when they believed they were not responsible for their behaviour.
limitation of AGENTIC STATE (situational variable)
One limitation is the agentic shift doesn’t explain many research findings.
For example, Rank and Jacobson (1977) found that most nurses disobeyed a doctor’s order to give an excessive drug dose.
The doctor was an authority figure but the nurses remained autonomous and did not shift into an agentic state. The same is true for some of Milgram’s participants.
This shows that agentic shift can only explain obedience in some situations.
strength of LEGITIMACY OF AUTHORITY (situational explanation )
One strength is legitimacy can explain cultural differences.
Research shows that countries differ in obedience to authority.
For example, 16% of Australian women obeyed (Kilham and Mann 1974), 85% of German participants did (Mantell 1971).
This shows that authority is more likely seen as legitimate in some cultures, reflecting upbringing.
limitation of LEGITIMACY OF AUTHORITY (situational explanation)
One limitation is legitimacy cannot explain all (disobedience.
People may disobey even when they accept the legitimacy of the hierarchical authority structure.
For example, most of Rank and Jacobson’s nurses were disobedient, as were some of Milgram’s participants.
This suggests that innate tendencies towards (disobedience may be more important than legitimacy of authority.
