Obedience - explanations

Question 1

what are the explanations for obedience

Answer 1

agentic state and legitimacy of authority

Question 2

outline the agentic state

Answer 2

A mental state in which we feel no personal responsibility for our actions as we feel we are acting for an authority figure

Question 3

what is an example of the agentic state

Answer 3

A child stealing sweets from a shop because their mum tells them to do so.

Question 4

How does the agentic state impact obedience

Answer 4

The agentic state increases obedience as people don’t feel the moral strain of their actions because they believe someone else can take that responsibility. They also don’t feel that it reflects on them as a person.

Question 5

why can the agentic state be good

with example

Answer 5

It is important as society can continue to run smoothly because everyone follows the same people who are in authority.

eg. people will not go down a road shut off by a policeman which means that the situation can be kept under control

Question 6

outline the autonomous state

Answer 6

A state of mind where people are free to behave on their own principles and therefore feel a sense of responsibility for their own actions

Question 7

what is an example of an autonomous state

Answer 7

A child stealing sweets from a shop because they are hungry

Question 8

How does the autonomous state impact obedience

Answer 8

It decreases obedience as people feel they are responsible for their own actions so believe that the blame would be down to them. This would cause them to follow their own views and morals as they are concerned of the consequences of their own actions

Question 9

Why can the autonomous state be good

with example

Answer 9

It is important as people will disobey those who are doing wrong so that the situation remains morally right.

eg. people won’t join in with burglars who have broken into a pizza hut.

Question 10

what is meant by binding factors

Answer 10

Milgram raised the theory of binding factors.
This is the aspect of a situation that allows the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and thus reduce the moral strain they are feeling. This allows them to stay in an agentic state.

Question 11

what is an example of a binding factor

Answer 11

When a child steals something from a shop they say they did it so their mum would be happy and that it wouldnt affect the shop.

Question 12

How do binding factors impact obedience

Answer 12

They increase obedience as it allows the individual to stay in an agentic state whereby, they don’t feel a moral responsibility for their actions.

Question 13

what is meant by Agentic Shift

Answer 13

This theory was suggested by Milgram. It is where people change from autonomous to agentic state because they perceive someone else to have more authority/ power than themselves.

Question 14

what is an example of agentic shift

Answer 14

A teacher walks into a room and the students then follow.

Question 15

define legitimate

Answer 15

something is considered legitimate if it is in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards.

Question 16

what is meant by legitimacy of authority

with example

Answer 16

Is an explination of obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have more authority over us. This authority is deemed legitimate by the individuals position of power within a social hierarchy

eg. Policeman

Question 17

what is a benefit of legitimate authority

Answer 17

A legitimate source of authority will have power over others which allows society to function smoothly.

Question 18

what is a negative consequence of legitimate authority

Answer 18

We are willing to give up independence to legitimate authority as we assume they will use their authority appropriately.

Question 19

what is meant by legitimate authority

Answer 19

If a source of authority is seen as legitimate then it is considered by most people to be an acceptable source of authority

Question 20

describe a piece of research into legitimacy of authority

Answer 20

Blass and Schmitt (2001)
Showed a film of Milgram’s study to students and asked them to identify who they thought was responsible for the harm that came to the learner.
The students blamed the experimentor rather than the participant.
The students also indicated that the responsibility was due to legitimacy of authority but also due to the expert authority.

Question 21

what is a dispositional explanation of authority

Answer 21

the Authoritarian personality

Question 22

what is meant by authoritarian personality

Answer 22

It is a state of mind or attitude characterised by belief in absolute obedience or submission to one’s own authority, as well as the administration of that belief through the oppression of one’s subordinates.

Question 23

How did Adorno et al (1950) investigate authoritarian personality

Answer 23

He used several rating scales including the F-scale to assess levels of obedience and unconsious attitudes towards other races.
His findings showed that those with a high rating on the F-scale were more obedient and that there was a strong positive correlation between authoritatianism and prejudice.

Question 24

describe some points of the authoritarian personality

Answer 24

• Believed to result form harsh parenting, including punishment for disobedience. This makes them more obedient to authority figures.
• In Milgram’s experiment those who gave the highest shock level did tend to have stronger authoritarian characters and were more likely to blame the learner rather than themselves.
• They show contempt for people they perceive to have inferior social status and have highly conventional attitudes towards sex, race and gender. They are unflexible in thier outlook.

Question 25

evaluate the authoritarian personality

Answer 25

• Not all adults who had a harsh upbringing are obedient.
• The use of the F-scale is limited as it measures right wing ideologies and not necessarily obedience. Therefore the authoritarian personality cannot be applied to all political viewpoints.