OBEDIENCE: SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

Question 1

Define agentic state (2)

Answer 1

A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure, i.e. as their agent.

This frees us from the demands of our consciences and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure.

Question 2

Define legitimate authority (2)

Answer 2

explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us.

This authority is justified (legitimate) by the individual's position of power within a social hierarchy.

Question 3

• What is autonomous state

Answer 3

‘Autonomy’ means to be independent or free. So a person in an autonomous state is free to behave according to their own principles and therefore feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions.

Question 4

• What is binding factor (3)

Answer 4

Ignore ‘moral strain’

Minimise damage from their behaviour 

Strategies⇒ blame victim or deny damage

Question 5

What was research showing autonomous state

Answer 5

1 of milgrams variations: confed not in room⇒ obedience dropped→ keep their autonomy & see themselves as responsible

Question 6

How was agentic shift shown

Answer 6

Qualitiative findings showed participants showed signs of tension

Knew what they were doing wrong→ showed physical discomfort

Question 7

How can agentic state theory be criticised

Answer 7

Obedience was not 100%⇒ everyone suffers form hierarchy

Only account for some situations like hoffling et als study on the nurses

Question 8

How is authority seen as ligitimate

Answer 8

Due to social agreement on who to hand control to→ give up independency

Due to hierarchy

Question 9

What is a consequence of legitimacy of authority

Answer 9

Leaders use ligitimate power for destructive reasons→ they can punish people and we would accept it

Question 10

define moral strain (2)

Answer 10

• hesitation or reluctance a person may feel when an authority figure is giving them an order that goes against their conscience.
  
  • Someone experiencing moral strain feels conflicted and may express emotion or show physical signs of distress

Question 11

how was moral strain visible in some ppt during milgrams study (2)

Answer 11

some participants showed signs of moral strain when asked to inflict high voltage shocks on another person. Milgram prompted the participants to continue when they visibly felt uncomfortable, stating that it was a requirement of the experiment.

65% of the participants inflicted high-voltage shocks onto another person even when they knew it would result in a level of harm.

This suggests the participants experienced an agentic shift that removed their moral strain, resulting in actions undertaken in the agentic state.

Question 12

how did milgram explain agentic shift through evolution and conditioning and what did milgrams suggest

Answer 12

• Evolutionary explanation for the agentic shift–obedience was a necessary trait for survival as it helped humans work together to survive. Disobedience endangered lives and so this trait was not passed down through genetics.
  
  • Conditioning explanation for the agentic shift–obedience is taught to us from an early age, namely in school and family life. We are conditioned to obey authority figures, meaning we associate obedience with rewards and disobedience with punishment.

Milgram claimed that the combination of evolution and conditioning help us accept authority figures and cause us to obey without too much resistance

Question 13

Evaluate cultural differences on ligitimate authority (+ve) (3 points + 2 findings)

Answer 13

useful account of cultural differences in obedience. Many studies show that countries differ in the degree to which people are traditionally obedient to authority.

- Mann et Al: replicated Milgram's procedure in Australia and found that only 16% of their participants went all the way to the top of the voltage scale.
- another research found: very different figure for German participants - 85%

 some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals. 

This reflects the ways that different societies are structured and how children are raised to perceive authority figures.

Such supportive findings from cross-cultural research increase the validity of the explanation.

Question 14

evaluate agentic state: large scale trial of Adolf Eichmann showing agentic state- the effect of it

Answer 14

In his trial, he claimed that his actions were the result of him simply taking orders under Adolf Hitler’s regime. He was doing as he was told, which he assumed was a sign of good character. This approach shows Eichmann was acting in an agentic state.

The application of such a historical event is cautionary;it suggests that, if placed in the right context, even a seemingly regular person could commit atrocities that they never would have imagined themselves doing otherwise. How far would you go to follow orders?

Question 15

how is agentic state shown in hoflings study

Answer 15

In a field experiment, it was found that 21 out of 22 nurses would administer an unknown drug to a patient when ordered to do so by an unknown doctor. The nurses were aware that this was in breach of hospital rules. This study also supports Agency theory as the nurses were acting in an agentic state under the authority figures (the doctors).