Explanations for obedience Flashcards
Agentic state
People are more likely to obey when they enter the agentic state, where they see themselves as an agent of the authority figure, working on his behalf
As a result, they give up their free will because they believe that they are not responsible for their own actions
Agentic state evidence
A strength of agentic state as an explanation for obedience is that it has convincing research to support it from Milgram
Who interviewed participants after his experiment and found that they did not feel responsible for their actions because they believed they were working on the experimenters behalf
For example, one participants said to the experimenter “well youre responsible” and “i hope you know what youre doing”
This shows that obedience is most likely when people enter the agentic state because they feel they are carrying out someone else’s work, suggesting it is a valid explanation for obedience
Legitimacy of the authority figure
People are more likely to obey if the person giving orders has a high level of legitimate authority
This is because the social role of the authority increases their social influence, which people respect because they fear punishment if they dont obey
Legitimacy evidence
Can explain real life obedience.
Kelman and Hamilton (1989) have suggested that the my lai massacre during the Vietnamese war can be explained by the authority of the US army
As the army has authority recognised by US laws, soldiers, including LT William Calley assume their orders are legal, even if ordered to behave in a barbaric fashion
This suggests that legitimacy of authority is a valid explanation for obedience, as seen in this case
Uniform
People are more likely to obey if the authority figure is wearing a uniform
This is because a uniform is a symbol of authority which increases the authority’s social influence
Uniform evidence
Convincing research to support it from Bickman
Who found that 92% of pedestrians obeyed an order (e.g. to give a stranger money for a parking meter) when a confederate was dressed in a guards uniform, compared to only 49% when dressed in a jacket and a tie
This shows that obedience is most likely when the uniform of the authority figure increases his or her social influence, suggesting uniform is a valid explanation for obedience
Location
People are more likely to obey in high status locations, with high level of perceived authority
This is because the high status of the setting adds to the authority of the authority figure, increasing obedience
Location evidence
Convincing research to support it from milgram
Who found that only 47.5% of participants obeyed orders to give the maximum shock when his experiment was carried out in a run-down office building, rather than at Yale university (65%)
This shows that obedience is most likely when orders are given in a prestigious location because the high status of the setting adds to the authority of the authority figure, suggesting location is a valid explanation for obedience
Proximity of the authority figure
People are more likely to obey if the authority figure is proximate
This is because proximity of the authority figure makes them close enough to exert their authority
Proximity evidence
Has convincing evidence to support it from Milgram
Who found that only 20.5% of participants obeyed ordered to give the maximum shock when the experimenter gave instructions via telephone (compared to in the same room, 65%)
This shows that obedience is most likely when the authority figure is close because it gives the sense that he is able to exert his authority, suggesting proximity of the authority figure is a valid explanation for obedience
Authoritarian personality
People are more likely to obey if they have an authoritarian personality, a set of personality traits making them conventional and hostile with a strong respect for authority
Adorno argued that people who experienced strict parenting as a child ar e more likely to develop this type of personality, measured on the f-scale
AP evidence
Has convincing research to support it from elms and Milgram
Who found that the most obedient participants in milgrams original experiment scored more highly on the f-scale than those who were less obedient
This shows that obedience is most likely in people who have an authoritarian personality because their childhood experience gives them a strong respect for authority, suggesting it is a valid explanation for obedience
