social-psychological factors of obedience

Question 1

what is an autonomous state

Answer 1

‘autonomy’ means to be independent or free so a person in an autonomous state is free to behave accordingly to their own principles and have a sense of responsibility for their actions

Question 2

what is an agentic state

Answer 2

when a person believes another person will take responsibility for their actions

Question 3

what is the agentic shift

Answer 3

this occurs when a person perceives someone else as a figure of authority. the other person has greater power because of their position in the social heirarchy. in most social groups when one person is in charge, others shift from autonomy to agency.

Question 4

what is agency theory

Answer 4

the idea that people are more likely to obey when they are in the agentic state as they believe they will not suffer the consequences of their actions

Question 5

two things Milgram suggests must be in place in order for a person to enter the agentic state

Answer 5

1. authority figure must be seen as legitimate
2. authority will accept responsibility

Question 6

research support for legitimacy of authority

Answer 6

Researchers showed a film of Milgram’s study to students and asked them to identify who they felt was responsible for harming the lawyer. The students blamed the ‘experimenter’ Mr wallace, rather than the participant. they indicated his responsibility was due to legitimate authority (top of the hierarchy) and expert authority (scientist)

Question 7

limitation of agentic shift

Answer 7

the agentic shift does not explain why not all of the participants in Milgram’s study obeyed. The agentic shift also does not explain the findings from Holfling et al.’s study as the nurses did not experience anxiety similar to Milgrams as they handed over responsibility to the doctor.

Question 8

Strength of legitimacy of authority explanation (cultural differences)