agency theory

Question 1

agentic state

Answer 1

you will perform duties instilled on you by someone else because they take full responsibility for your actions

Question 2

autonomous state

Answer 2

character believes they have free will and dont conform to instruction. personally responsible for actions

Question 3

moral strain

Answer 3

when a person feels agitated or distressed when asked to do something that is morally incorrect

Question 4

agentic shift

Answer 4

when someone shifts from being in an autonomous state to being in an agentic state.

Question 5

what are the similarities of the agentic and autonomous state

Answer 5

1. in both states of mind, someone is always responsible
2. hard to measure these states

Question 6

what are the differences in the agentic and autonomous state

Answer 6

1. autonomous is free will while agentic is obedience driven
2. autonomous owns responsibility while while agentic shifts responsibility
3. agentic is low anxiety while autonomous is high anxiety

Question 7

how does obedience stabilise society

Answer 7

it creates social order and harmony

Question 8

how has obedience evolved from evolution

Answer 8

1. obedience has evolved as a survival function
2. obedience is necessary for social order
3. we should be prepared to be obedient as we are socialised into being obedient to maintain order

Question 9

how do agentic individuals act

Answer 9

1. act as an agent to authority figure
2. they obey orders even if they are extreme due to authority figure taking responsibility

Question 10

how do autonomous individuals act

Answer 10

1. according to their own free will
2. when they make a decision they take personal responsibility for the consequences of their actions

Question 11

how do individuals cope with anxiety

Answer 11

shift from autonomous to agentic state

Question 12

what are some issues with agency theory

Answer 12

1. it is a construct that cant be physically seen
2. no measurement so you cant empirically measure states of mind
3. ignores individualistic differences such as personality

Question 13

what studies can be used to support agency theory

Answer 13

milgrim and his variation 10
hofling
bickman
sheridan and king

Question 14

how does milgrims original study support agency theory

Answer 14

1. those reluctant to follow instruction could be in agentic state
2. authrity figure took responsibility by saying ‘i am, i am responsible’
3. showed anxiety and fear suggesting moral strain

Question 15

how does milgrims original study disprove agency theory

Answer 15

1. not everyone obeyed
2. didn’t account for different personalities
3. cant prove evolutionary basis of behaviour