Explanations for Obedience

Question 1

Define obedience

Answer 1

Obedience is when an individual follows the orders given by an authority figure.

Question 2

Identify the three explanations for obedience

Answer 2

1. Agentic state
2. Legitimacy of authority
3. Dispositional explanation (Authoritarian personality)

Question 3

Outline the agentic state as an explanation for obedience

Answer 3

People exist in one of two states:
- Autonomous state: act voluntarily and feel responsible for their actions.
- Agentic state: act as agents for authority figures and pass responsibility onto them.
Agentic shift occurs when a person moves from the autonomous to the agentic state, increasing obedience.

Question 4

One strength of the agentic state explanation

Answer 4

Supporting evidence from Milgram’s proximity variation.

Obedience dropped when participants had to hold the learner’s hand to the shock plate, suggesting they returned to the autonomous state and felt more responsibility.

Question 5

One strength of the agentic state explanation

Answer 5

Real-world application: Nazi Germany.

Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann claimed he was ‘just following orders,’ showing the agentic state can help explain large-scale atrocities.

Question 6

One limitation of the agentic state explanation

Answer 6

Doesn’t explain individual differences.

Some people in Milgram’s study disobeyed despite being in the same situation, suggesting personality factors also play a role.

Question 7

Outline the legitimacy of authority explanation for obedience

Answer 7

Obedience occurs due to a belief in social hierarchy. People obey those higher up in this hierarchy, and obedience increases when individuals believe the authority is legitimate.

Question 8

One strength of legitimacy of authority explanation

Answer 8

Supporting evidence from Milgram’s location variation.

Obedience was lower in a run-down office than at Yale University, showing obedience depends on perceived legitimacy.

Question 9

One strength of legitimacy of authority explanation

Answer 9

Explains cultural differences in obedience.

Collectivist cultures show more obedience than individualist cultures, helping understand how societal values shape obedience.

Question 10

One limitation of legitimacy of authority explanation

Answer 10

Fails to explain individual differences.

Not all participants obeyed in Milgram’s original study despite the authority figure’s legitimacy.

Question 11

Outline the dispositional explanation: Authoritarian personality

Answer 11

Obedience is influenced by personality. Authoritarian personality: high respect for authority and belief in strict obedience, typically resulting from a strict upbringing.

Question 12

One strength of the authoritarian personality explanation

Answer 12

Supporting evidence from Milgram’s interviews.

Fully obedient participants scored high on the F-scale, suggesting a link between authoritarianism and obedience.

Question 13

One limitation of the authoritarian personality explanation

Answer 13

Evidence is correlational.

Can’t confirm whether authoritarianism causes obedience as measures correlation between f scale and obedience; confounding variables like lower level of education causing authoritarianism might be responsible.

Question 14

One limitation of the authoritarian personality explanation

Answer 14

Cannot explain mass obedience.

Millions in Nazi Germany obeyed unjust orders, unlikely they all had authoritarian personalities.

Question 15

One limitation of the authoritarian personality explanation

Answer 15

Alternative explanations are more credible.

Legitimacy of authority has stronger causal evidence, reducing the credibility of authoritarian personality as the main explanation.