obedience: social-psychological explanation Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is legitimacy of authority?
Where authority becomes leigitimate in a sense that its agreed by society- unwritten rule-
Most accept authority and allowed them to exercise social power to allow society to run smoothly. socialised into it. communicate through visible symbols (uniform)
3 key details of legitimacy of authority
- We learn it early on
- Taught it at school/by parents
- Social power is when people enforce power onto us
What is agentic state?
A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our actions. This frees us from demand of our conscience and allows us to obey destructive orders.
What did Milgram propose?
People who are willing to follow destructive orders believe they are acting for someone else.
Agent experiences anxiety when know they are doing wrong but feel they have to obey. Eg Milgrams p’s started sweating when couldn’t withdraw
Why does obedience to destructive authority occur?
Because a person does not take responsibility for their own actions
What is the autonomous state?
Independent, behave according to own principles and feel responsible for own actions
What is an agentic shift?
Autonomous to agentic state
Occurs when in presence of someone of legitimate authority/someone in higher position of social hierarchy
Strengths of explanation (2 supporting research)
- Supporting research from Blass and Schmitt- shown Milgrams study asked to identify who responsible for harm, blamed experimenter rather than participant of bc expert authority, they was in agentic shift
- Supporting research from Hamilton- war crimes understood in terms of legitimacy of authority, soldiers felt acting as agents for state.
Limitations of evaluation (3)
- Mandel- German reserve police battalion men shot civilians in Poland despite told could do other duties not directly ordered to murder, challenges agentic state.
- Some p’s** didn’t obey **(35%), challenges reliability. external factors?
