explanations of obedience- milgram Flashcards
(13 cards)
milgram study- aim
to see if individuals obey the orders of an authority figure that incurred negative consequences
milgram study- procedure
40 male volunteers.
Assigned as “teachers,” with a confederate as the “learner.”
Teacher instructed to give electric shocks for wrong answers.
Shocks increased from 15V-450V.
Experimenter ~ verbal prompts to encourage continuation.
Learner (confederate) reacted with distress, then silence at high volts.
milgram study- findings
all ppts went upto 300v- 5 refused after that.
65% went upto 450v.
only 9 refused to go on at 375v.
agentic state
individuals act as an agent of authority figure, who is responsible for the individual’s behaviour. This helps explain why people may obey authority figures even when doing something they believe is wrong.
autonomous state
individual’s actions are based on thier own values and conscience. In this state, a person sees themselves as in control, rather than obeying orders from an authority figure.
legitimacy of authority- definition
refers to the idea that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have legitimate power over us, usually due to their role or position in society. This perceived authority is often accepted because it is reinforced by social norms and upbringing.
legitimacy of system
extent to which the body is a legitimate source of authority
legitimacy of authority within the system
the power individuals hold to give orders- hierarchy within establishments
legitimacy of the orders given
the extent to which individuals see the order as a legitimate command from an authority figure
strength- research support of agentic state
Blass & Schmitt showed people clips from Milgram’s study and asked who was responsible for harm. Most blamed the experimenter, not the participant, supporting Milgram’s idea of the agentic state - people see themselves as agents following orders. It also backs up legitimacy of authority, as the experimenter was seen as an authoritative figure.
weakness- does not explain individual differences
Not all participants in Milgram’s study obeyed - 35% stopped before the highest voltage. If obedience was purely due to the agentic state or legitimacy of authority, we would expect more uniform behaviour. This suggests other factors, like personality or upbringing, influence obedience too.
strength- real world applications
Milgram’s explanation helps us understand real-life atrocities, such as soldiers obeying orders during the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War. The theory shows how obedience to authority can override moral judgement, giving Milgram’s theory strong explanatory power in societal and military contexts.
weakness- agentic state lacks full explanation
Milgram’s theory does not explain why people enter or resist the agentic state, nor why some shift out of it while others don’t. It also doesn’t clarify what triggers the transition from autonomy to agency, making it incomplete as a standalone explanation.
