Agency Theory Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is the Autonomous state?
a state of being aware and in control of our actions, free will.
What is the Agentic State?
Feeling we have no control over our behaviour, being an ‘agent’ to an authority figures demands regardless of our morals.
What is moral strain?
The guilt we feel when we want to obey an order from authority that goes against our moral compass.
- nervous laugher
- sweating
- nail biting
What is the agentic shift?
Removes moral strain by shifting from autonomous -> agentic state
What does Milgram say this is due to?
Evolutionary need for heirarchy and structure.
What is supporting evidence for this theory?
Milgram et al. 65% of men went to 450V when told to by a Yale researcher despite showing signs of moral strain - nail biting, etc.
What is conflicting evidence for this study?
House 1976 - autonomy is due to lack of charisma from the authority figure, A.T is reductionist.
Adorno - found that RWA personality is more likely to obey authority, so ‘state of mind’ is reductionist and ignores personality factors.
What is another theory?
Social Impact theory is more holistic as it considers 3 separate environmental factors rather than a state of mind.
What is the Usefulness of Agency theory?
Helps us to understand the importance of percieved authority such as gang culture and grooming, and the importance of police uniforms to make people obey, etc.
What is the testibility of Agency theory?
Hard to test empirically as a state of mind and not a brain area.
Can gather qualitative data through measuring moral strain
