Obedience: Social-Psychological factors: Agentic state

Question 1

Agentic state

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

Autonomous state

Answer 2

opposite of being in an autonomous state.
‘Autonomy’ means to be independent or free. free to have own principles and therefore feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions.

MILGRAM - this occurs when a person perceives someone else as a figure of authority. This other person has greater power because of their position in a social hierarchy.

Question 3

Binding factors

Answer 3

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.