agency theory of obedience Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
why did Stanley Milgram investigate obedience?
A
- Milgram wanted to explain the atrocities committed by the Nazis and investigate obedience
2
Q
what did historians believe about Nazi soldiers’ obedience?
A
- historians believed Nazi soldiers had a character flaw that made them more obedient
3
Q
what was Milgram’s view on Nazi soldiers’ obedience?
A
- Milgram did not believe Nazi soldiers had a character flaw
- he wanted to test if ‘normal’ people would obey authority
4
Q
what did Milgram’s experiment involve?
A
- Milgram used healthy participants to administer electric shocks to an innocent confederate to test obedience
5
Q
what did Milgram conclude from his research?
A
- Milgram concluded that everyone is capable of extreme obedience, even if it involves hurting someone, which likely serves an evolutionary or societal function
6
Q
what is the nature of human society?
A
- human society is hierarchical, with many people at the bottom and a few at the top
7
Q
why did hierarchical societies survive?
A
- hierarchical societies evolved for survival
- those with a hierarchy survived, while others died out
8
Q
what function does a hierarchy serve in society?
A
- a hierarchy creates social order and harmony, stabilising society
9
Q
why is obedience necessary in society?
A
- obedience maintains social order
- without it, society would face chaos and breakdown
10
Q
what happens if people see themselves as individuals in a social situation?
A
- if people see themselves as individuals, they will act autonomously, avoiding aggression in threatening situations
11
Q
what does Evolution Theory suggest about avoiding aggression?
A
- Evolution Theory suggests that avoiding aggression aids survival and is a good survival strategy
12
Q
what is the basis of Evolution Theory?
A
- Evolution Theory, based on natural selection, states that tendencies that aid survival are passed on through genes
13
Q
how are we prepared to be obedient?
A
- we are innately prepared to be obedient, as exposure to authority figures teaches this behavior
14
Q
what is socialisation?
A
- socialisation is the process of learning society’s rules and norms through agents like teachers and parents
15
Q
what is an autonomous state?
A
- in an autonomous state, individuals see themselves as having power and control over their actions
16
Q
what do individuals in an autonomous state believe about their actions?
A
- they believe their actions are voluntary and they have free will to make their own decisions
17
Q
what happens when someone moves from an autonomous state to an agentic state?
A
- they may receive an instruction from an authority figure, leading them to shift into an agentic state
18
Q
what is an agentic state?
A
- in an agentic state, individuals act as agents for others, typically in authority
19
Q
what happens to an individual’s conscience in an agentic state?
A
- their conscience is not in control
- they lose the ability to make decisions independently
20
Q
what happens to free will in an agentic state?
A
- individuals lose free will and no longer make their own decisions
21
Q
what is moral strain?
A
- moral strain occurs when people are asked to do something they feel is immoral or unjust
22
Q
how does moral strain affect individuals?
A
- it makes individuals feel uncomfortable, anxious, and distressed in the situation
23
Q
why do individuals experience anxiety in moral strain?
A
- anxiety arises as they contemplate dissent and consider acting against what they’ve been socialised to do
24
Q
why do individuals shift to an agentic state?
A
- to alleviate moral strain, individuals shift to an agentic state, displacing responsibility onto the authority figure
25
what does shifting to an agentic state do for an individual?
- it absolves the individual from the consequences of their actions by **shifting responsibility to the authority figure**
26
what can disobedience to authority figures produce?
- disobedience can **produce relief** once the individual has **removed themselves from the situation**
27
what is the agentic shift?
- the agentic shift is the **change from the autonomous state to the agentic state** when **confronted with a legitimate authority figure**
28
how do we judge others in the agentic shift process?
- we **quickly judge** if others are **higher or lower than us in the social hierarchy** and whether they have **legitimate authority**
29
supporting evidence: M
**Milgram**
- first obedience experiment
- **65%** of ppts obeyed an authority figure and potentially harmed an innocent confederate
- evidence for agency theory: ppts showed **moral strain** (anxiety) when given the order to harm
- many participants believed the responsibility for their actions lay with the **experimenter**, not themselves
- this demonstrates **displacement of responsibility**
30
other things (strength): My Lai
- **american soldiers** were ordered to shoot the occupants of My Lai, suspected of being Vietcong soldiers
- **lieutenant Calley** instructed his division to enter the village and shoot, despite **no return of fire**
- the soldiers **massacred old men, women and children** after Calley’s orders
- in his **court martial**, Calley claimed he was **just following orders**
- justification has been cited in real-life cases of atrocities and offers support for agency theory involving **displacement of responsibility**
31
supporting evidence: H et al
**Hofling et al**
- a **stooge doctor** called a nurse late at night, instructing her to administer **twice the daily dose** of a drug to a patient
- the doctor told the nurse that he would **sign the prescription later**, violating hospital policy
- **21 out of 22 nurses** followed the doctor’s orders and attempted to give the medication
- the nurses **displaced personal responsibility** onto the authority figure (the doctor), supporting **agency theory**
32
other things (weakness): individual differences
- **agency theory** does not explain **individual differences** in obedience and dissent
- **dissent** can occur due to various factors, such as **personality type, gender,** and **situation**
- this suggests that **obedience** is a more **complex process** than agency theory accounts for
33
other things (weakness): definition and measuring
- concepts of **autonomy** and **agency** are difficult to define and measure
- **agency** is a **state of mind** that, according to **Milgram**, is switched on when given an order by an authority figure
- **agency** is an internal mental process that cannot be directly measured, only **inferred** from the **behaviour** of the agent
34
other things (weakness): evolution + CA
- there is **no direct evidence** for the **evolutionary basis** of obedience
- we cannot **study obedience** directly in our evolutionary past or find **archeological evidence** for this behaviour
- **however**, **similar hierarchical systems** exist in **animal groups**, such as primates, with similar sanctions for obedience
- it can be **inferred** that obedience has evolved to serve some form of **survival function** for **social groups**
35
other things (weakness): F + R
- **agency theory** does not explain the **motivational issues** behind obedience
- **French and Raven** identified **five bases of power** that motivate and influence behaviour: **legitimate power, reward power, referent power, expert power and coercive power**
- these bases are said to provide a **better explanation** of obedience
- they offer a more comprehensive explanation for **Milgram’s findings** in his experiments
36
other things (weakness): P
- **Perry** questioned **internal validity** of Milgram’s study
- she argues that many **ppts saw through the deception** in the exp
- **Perry** reviewed **released evidence** from **Yale University archives** of Milgram’s study
- evidence suggests that many ppts **questioned** whether **shocks were real**
