Situational Explanations In Obedience Flashcards
What are the 2 situational explanations of of obedience
Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
Define agentic state
Being under the control of someone else and obeying their orders even if they cause you distress
What a re the 2 states of behaviour that milgram argues we have
Agentic and autonomous
Define the autonomous state
Being under ones own control and having the power to make you own decisions
How are the 2 behaviours of obedience that milgram studied developed
They developed because we live in complex social groups and we must, at times, surrender aspects our individuality, conscience and free will for the interest of the wider group
What did milgram propose bout obedience in terms of destructive authority
He believed that obedience to destructive authority occurs because a person doesn’t take reposnisibility and in stead they believe they are acting for so else ie and agent
What is an ‘agent’ in terms of milgrams explanation of obedience
Someone who acts for or in place of another and experiences high anxiety due to moral strain, when they realise what they are doing but feel powerless to disobey
What is the opposite of the agentic state
Autonomous state
What does autonomy mean
To be independent or free
What is the shift from autonomy to agency
Agentic state
When does milgram say that an agentic shift occurs
When a person perceives someone else as an authority figure (someone who has a higher position in social hierarchy)
What are binding factors
Aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and therefore reduce their moral strain that they are feeling
How did Milgram find out about binding factors
He observed that many of his participants wanted to stop but felt powerless and so he wondered why so many of them remaine in an agentic state
What are some of the strategies that milgram found people do in terms f binding factors
Shifting responsibility to the victim or denying the damage
