Situational Explanations of Obedience Flashcards
What is Agentic State?
Milgram argued that people obey horrific orders not because of their own personalities but because of the situation they are in. He said that people following orders go into an agentic state and lose their autonomy.
They perceive themselves as merely the instrument of an authority figure and do not follow their conscience. They believe that the authority figure is responsible for their actions ( agentic shift ). This happens because in people experience authority figures are usually trust worthy, orders seem reasonable then become more aggressive ( gradual commitment ) and people cannot see the consequences of their actions ( buffers ).
Why do people adopt an agentic state and then not break it?
To maintain a positive self - image. It does not matter what negative behaviour they show because they are not responsible for their actions. Once a person has entered agentic state, they stay in it because they are concerned that breaking their commitment to the authority figure would seem arrogant and rude.
What is a good thing about agentic state?
It is necessary for hierarchies to function in society , which prevents chaos. Milgram thought that agentic state had developed during human evolution. We live in a society where we are constantly submitting to authority figures such as parents, teachers, the police and doctors and so obedience is necessary for society to function.
What are the advantages of the agentic state theory?
- The Milgram Experiment. Constantly asked who is responsible. They were far more willing to obey once the experimenter told them that they would take responsibility for the consequences. Another psychologist repeated Milgram’s and found a substantial decrease in obedience when participants were told they would be responsible. This shows that feelings of responsibility need to be lost in order for people to obey and this fits with the theory of agentic state.
- participants in Milgram were less likely to shock mr Wallace when they could see the consequences of their actions ( less buffers ). Being in the same room as Mr Wallace and seeing him in pain would have prevented some participants from going into agentic state, as they could not deny they were responsible.
What is the negative to agentic state?
It does not explain why 35% of people in Milgram’s study refused to deliver shocks all the way up to 450 volts. If all people go into agentic state when the situational factor are right, how come these people did not go into agentic state?
Explain legitimate authority
It claims that people are more likely to obey an order given by someone who has legitimate authority, which means that they are perceived to be in a position of social control with a situation.
Milgram believed that there is a shared experience among people that situations usually gave a socially controlling figure. The power of legitimate authority doesn’t come from their characteristics, but from their perceived position in a social situation.
Legitimate authority can be shown through symbols of power, such as uniform. Sometimes they require an institution ( e.g. Prison , or the military ) especially if the commands are of a potentially harmful or destructive form.
Give the advantages of the legitimate authority theory
- a psychologist asked confederates to order passersby to pick some litter of the street or move away from the bus stop. The confederates were dressed as either a guard, milkman or just in smart clothes. 90% of people obeyed the guard and only 50% obeyed tar civilian. A person in a guard uniform is more likely to be perceived as a legitimate authority figure.
- Psychologists did a study of aviation accidents where the flights crews actions were a contributing factor in the accident and the black box was available. He found excessive dependence on the captains authority and expertise; one second officer claimed that although the capatin’s approach was risky he said nothing because he assumed ‘the captain knew what he was doing ‘
Give the drawback of legitimate authority
It does not explain why 35% of people in Milgram’s study were able to resist the order of legitimate authority figures. They refused to obey the experimenter , even though he had legitimate authority in that situation.
