Social: Obedience Flashcards
What is Obedience?
Obedience = compliance to the real or imagined demands of an authority figure.
What is Social Influence?
Social Influence = when an individual’s behaviour, attitudes and emotions are affected by those of another.
What is Blind Obedience?
Blind Obedience = when people, regardless of whether they believe the action to be morally, ethically or legally right, do as they’re told.
What’s the difference between the Autonomous and the Agentic state?
Autonomous = an individual acts based on their own morals and free will.
BUT…
Agentic = an individual acts as an agent and follows the commands of an authority figure, who we know will take responsibility for our actions.
Who are perceived to be “authority figures?”
People who carry symbols of authority, like a uniform, or possess status, like a rank.
What can those with authority cause?
The agentic shift.
What is the Agentic Shift?
The shift between the autonomous and agentic state.
What is Moral Strain?
Moral Strain = anxiety experienced because you’ve been told to do something which goes against your moral judgement.
What are the defence mechanisms for moral strain?
During Milgram’s experiment, he observed that P’s would…
- Denial - Milgram’s P’s minimised MS by convincing themselves the shocks weren’t dangerous.
- Dissent - many P’s didn’t look at the experimenter or look up from the shock generator.
- Degree of Involvement - some flicked the switches lightly as if it would lessen the pain.
- Helping the learner - P’s prompted the learner to give the right answer in the memory test. Also, in variation 7, some P’s gave a weaker shock thinking the experimenter wasn’t watching.
Supporting evidence for Agency Theory?
- Milgram
- Real-life events
- Hofling et al (1966)
What did Milgram find which supports Agency Theory?
65% of P’s were willing to obey the experimenter’s commands and harm an innocent confederate of the study. This provides evidence for agency theory because P’s showed overt signs of moral strain when given the order.
‘Displacement of responsibility was shown’ - many P’s said they obeyed the commands as their behaviour was the responsibility of the experimenter, and they didn’t want to do it.
What real-life event provides evidence for agency theory?
Vietnam War - American soldiers were ordered by Lieutenant Calley to go into the village of My Lai and kill all the occupants (inc old men, women and children) who were accused of being Vietcong soldiers. Shot them all with no return of fire. In court, Calley claimed to have been following orders (‘displacement of responsibility’).
How does Hofling et al (1966) provide evidence for agency theory?
In a hospital setting, they staged a doctor telephoning a nurse working late at night asking them to administer twice the daily dose of a drug to a patient (against hospital policy). Stooge doctor said they’d take full responsibility and they’d sign the prescription later. 21/22 went to administer drugs, saying they did so because of the hospitals hierarchy of authority, and they ‘displaced the authority’.
Weaknesses of Agency Theory?
- Does not explain individual differences
- Does not explain motivational issues behind dissent (French and Raven (1959))
- Concepts of agency and autonomy are difficult to define and measure
Why does agency theory not being able to explain individual differences make it a weakness?
Dissent can happen for a number of reasons, e.g. personality type, gender and situation. So, obedience is more complex than agency theory makes it out to be.
Why does French and Raven (1959) study provide evidence against agency theory?
F + R identified 5 bases of power that is said to motivate/influence behaviour:
- Reward power
- Legitimate power
- Referent power
- Expert power
- Coercive power
These factors are said to provide a better explanation of obedience and a better explanation for Milgram’s findings.
Why do the concepts of agency and autonomy being difficult to define and measure weaken agency theory?
Agency is a state of mind that is switched when given an order by an authority figure. This internal process cannot be measured, only inferred from the behaviour of an agent. There is no evidence for the evolutionary basis of obedience. But, there were hierarchical systems that existed in animal groups (e.g. primates) with similar sanctions of disobedience - it can be inferred that obedience has evolved to serve some form of the survival function for social groups.
Who proposed Social Impact Theory?
Bibb Latane (1981) proposed a theory of social influence that can be used to explain why people are obedient.
What does SIT propose in summary?
That people’s behaviour is greatly influenced by the actions of others; we can be persuaded, inhibited, threatened and supported by others. These actions affect how we act as a response. This is known as social impact because of how others, real or imagined, have an impact on us.
