Social and Psychological factors in obedience.

Question 1

Describe legitimacy of authority.

Answer 1

Social explanation.

We obey people we perceive to have more authority than us in the social hierarchy.

This is taught through the process of socialisation and can lead to destructive authority.

Question 2

What is the agentic state?

Answer 2

A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe we are acting on behalf of an authority figure despite moral strain.

Question 3

Describe the autonomous state.

Answer 3

A mental state in which we are free to act according to our own principles. Due to this freedom you are responsible for your actions.

Question 4

Describe the agentic shift.

Answer 4

The process of moving from an autonomous to an agentic state.

This occurs in the presence of a perceived authority figure.

Question 5

What are bindings factors?

Answer 5

Aspects of a situation which allow us to ignore/minimise the damage we are causing, reducing moral strain.

e.g. victim blaming, denial, minimalisation, shifting responsibility.

Question 6

Evaluation points.

Answer 6

+ Support for the agentic state: Milgram’s participants continued when told they were not responsible.

• Agency theory not supported by real world events: Mandel - German police battalion murdered civilians without being ordered to - given choice so acted autonomously. Other factors
• Rank and Jacobson and Milgram study: disobedience occurred despite clear authority figure.

+ Tarnow: support legitimacy of authority - aviation accidents - overdependence on authority and expertise of the pilot.