Obedience: Agency Theory Milgram Flashcards
Define the ‘agentic state’.
When an individual surrenders their free will to an authority figure and carries out any actions they command.
Define the ‘autonomous state’.
When an individual acts voluntarily under their own free will.
Define the ‘agentic shift’.
The process of leaving the autonomous state and entering the agentic state through surrendering free will to an authority figure.
Define ‘moral strain’.
The feeling that can occur when an individual disagrees with the orders that are given, often going against their moral code.
Who made Agency Theory and when?
Stanley Milgram 1974
How are humans organised socially and what does that mean according to Milgram?
Humans are in hierarchically organised social groups. this means that for them to function correctly the subordinates have to suppress their personal desires to carry out their superiors wishes.
strength of agency theory
It is supported by Milgram’s 1963 study. The study found that 100% of participants would administer a shock of 300V as punishment for making a mistake on a word learning task and 65% would go to the final 450V (ignoring warning signs).
this is a strength because it shows how the presence of a perceived authority figure is enough to make an individual man the agentic shift from autonomous state to agent state.
competing argument of agency theory
refuting evidence from Adorno (1950) who argued that some people possess an authoritarian personality, these individuals enjoy rules, order and being submissive to authority. This is a weakness because this theory emphasises dispositional (personality) reasons for obedience rather than the situation, therefore refuting agency theory.
strength of agency theory
can be usefully applied to explain the actions of war criminals, such as Adolph Eichmann, who was one of the main organisers of the Holocaust and refused to accept responsibility for his actions insisting he had no authority in the Nazi hierarchy and was ‘only following orders’. This is a strength because it supports the agentic shift that occurs when an individual is faced with a legitimate authority figure giving them orders, resulting in the individual believing they are acting on the authority figure’s behalf and so are not responsible for their acts of destructive obedience.
competeing argument of agency theory
is alternative explanations for obedience, such as social impact theory which claims that the impact of other people on an individual is determined by the strength, immediacy, and number of sources during an interaction. This is a weakness because social impact theory suggests that there is a more complete explanation for obedience, that goes beyond the presence of a perceived legitimate authority figure giving orders.
define binding factors
Factors that ensure the individual stays in the agentic shift.
When do we operate in the autonomous state?
- alone
- with peers
- with those we perceive to be below us in the social hierarchy
When to we operate in the autonomous state?
when we undergo the agentic shift (in the presence of a legitimate authority.
conclusion of agency theory
agency theory offers practical advice to organisations, eg the police should wear a uniform and use face-to-face orders when trying to control crowd behaviour, such as at football matches.
This is a strength because it shows how useful agency theory is within society when trying to maximise the likelihood of individuals obeying authority.
agency theory isolates socialisation as the factor responsible for the development of obedience, therefore ignoring other possible factors which may also contribute such as our genes, peer group influence and brain functioning. This is a weakness because it makes the theory reductionist and may be criticised for simplifying the complex behaviour of obedience.
