Social/psychological reasons for why we obey

Question 1

Legitimacy of authority

Answer 1

The idea we are more likely to obey someone who has authority over us

Question 2

Agentic state

And example

Answer 2

• A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure
• Eichmann tried for war crimes but said he was only obeying orders
• he was in charge of nazi death camps

Question 3

Autonomous state

Answer 3

• opposite to agentic
• a person in an autonomous state is free to behave according to their own principles and feels a sense of responsibility for their actions

Question 4

Agentic shift

Answer 4

• where a person switches from an autonomous state to an agentic
• happens when another person perceived someone as an authority figure

Question 5

Destructive authority

Answer 5

When legitimate authority becomes destructive