THE SOCIAL APPROACH - OBEDIENCE

Question 1

What is obedience?

Answer 1

A form of social influence where the behaviour of an individual is influenced by a real or imagined pressure from someone with perceived or legitimate authority

Question 2

What are the key points of agency theory?

Answer 2

We have the tendency to obey authority in an agentic state, where we displace responsibility onto the authority figure while experiencing a moral strain
We shift in between an agentic and autonomous states in an agentic shift
Social etiquette leads to following social hierarchy within social institutions which we learnt through socialisation

Question 3

What is an agentic state?

Answer 3

We give up our autonomy to the authority figure and obey them, denying our responsibility to avoid moral strain and serve the interests of the authority

Question 4

What is an autonomous state?

Answer 4

We feel free to act with free will and independence, taking responsibility for our own actions

Question 5

What are the strengths of agency theory?

Answer 5

Tarnow found excessive dependence on the pilot’s authority when studying aviation accidents, where the co-pilot obeyed social hierarchy in an agentic state resulting in 35% to accidents being a direct result of obedience
Meeus and Raajmakers found that 92% of participants were prepared to inflict psychological harm when instructed to do so by authority
Howling found that 21/22 nurses prescribed an overdose because the doctor told them to, showing how they were willing to go against hospital police to obey authority

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of agency theory?

Answer 6

Doesn’t take personality variables into account, for example some people are more likely to obey than others
Not everyone obeys (35% didn’t in Milgram’s study)
Rapidly changing states fails to explain the gradual and irreversible transition of German doctors at Auschwitz
Status suggests it is the experience of doing evil acts over a long time that changes behaviour
David Mandel argues agency theory lets people ‘off the hook’ by displacing responsibility onto the authority figure, avoiding moral strain

Question 7

What are the key points of social impact theory?

Answer 7

The SIN of the source of influence impacts the level of obedience
Strength: determined by status, authority and age
Immediacy: the proximity of the source and target
Number: size of sources or targets
Divisional effect: more targets reduces the impact of the source
Group polarisation: the tendency for a group to have more extreme ideas than the individuals
Social loafing: people who are in a group but don’t contribute to the group’s decisions or actions
Psychosocial law: the impact of obedience levels off

Question 8

What are the strengths of social impact theory?

Answer 8

It has face validity as it can credibly explain behaviour using research evidence
Latane, Cappel and Joy found that isolated rats were more sociable when introduced to other rats, yet the sociability levelled off as crowding increased (psychosocial law)

Question 9

What are the strengths of social impact theory?

Answer 9

It has face validity as it can credibly explain behaviour using research evidence
Latane, Cappel and Joy found that isolated rats were more sociable when introduced to other rats, yet the sociability levelled off as crowding increased (psychosocial law)
Latane and Darley proved the divisional effect as they found that a lone individual is more likely to help someone on the street compared to a group of people, as they can’t deny their social responsibility
Berkowitz, Bickman and Milgram found that more members of the public looked up as the number of confederates who looked up increased, but it levelled off

Question 10

What are the weaknesses of social impact theory?

Answer 10

It ignores individual differences and oversimplifies human interactions
It is a circular argument as it describes but doesn’t explain why people obey more when there is greater SIN
It is limited in social situations - eg when the two social groups have equal SIN
Agency theory is more focused on obedience

Question 11

How does an authoritarian personality describe obedience?

Answer 11

Adorno argues that they develop during a strict and unloving childhood, where they learnt the importance of social hierarchy through the family
A higher authoritarian personality leads to more obedience as they are conventional and submit to authority

Question 12

What study supports authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Answer 12

Dambrun and Vatine replicated Milgram’s study with a stimulation and a virtual computer and found a link between obedience and RWA

Question 13

What study doesn’t support authoritarian personality as an explanation of obedience?

Answer 13

Doty et al found that authoritarian personality isn’t credible as it should be fixed however levels changed during the Cold War depending on the levels of external threat
(AP was higher when the external threat was higher)

Question 14

What are the situational factors of obedience?

Answer 14

Momentum of compliance - Milgram
Proximity - Milgram’s telephonic instructions
Uniform - Bickman
Location/status - Milgram’s rundown office block
Witnessing disobedience - divisional effect
Charisma of the authority figure

Question 15

What is the key question?

Answer 15

How can social psychology explain/prevent cult behaviour and obedience?

Question 16

How is the social key question relevant to today’s society?

Answer 16

Understanding the reasons behind cult behaviour could prevent people submissively following dangerous authority
Eg The People’s Temple led by Jim Jones resulted in a mass suicide in Jonestown

Question 17

How can agency theory be applied to the key question?

Answer 17

The members of the cult give up their autonomy to the leader of the cult in an agentic state, displacing the responsibility onto them to avoid moral strain
This is supported by Tarnow
This could be used to prevent cult behaviour if people were aware of when they were in an agentic state, and therefore couldn’t displace responsibility for their actions

Question 18

How can social impact theory be applied to the key question?

Answer 18

The cult members feel less social responsibilities as they diffuse them onto the group
The cult leader could have a strong SIN
This is supported by Latane and Darley (lone individual more likely to help on the streets)
If the members became more aware of the consequences of their actions, or made to feel responsible, then it would be difficult to diffuse the responsibility onto the leader

Question 19

How can authoritarian personality be applied to the key question?

Answer 19

They are more conventional and obey social hierarchy, and therefore are more likely to obey the cult leader as an authority figure due to them having more status
Doty et al found that levels of authoritarianism increased when the external threat was higher, therefore if we reduced the levels of external threat this could lower authoritarianism and result in less cult behaviour

Question 20

How can social identity theory be applied to the key question?

Answer 20

The cult members categories and identify with the cult group, feeling a sense of belonging, and favour the cult to out groups to boost their self esteem
This is supported by Aronson and Osherow
If the members of the cult found safer groups to identify with, this could help reduce cult behaviour