Psychological factors affecting obedience to authority (agentic state, legitimacy of authority) Flashcards
(17 cards)
Social psychological explanations:
- these explanations concern the influences of others on an individual’s behaviour, rather than external factors in the situation
- The two theories you need to know are:
- Agentic state
- Legitimacy theory (of authority)
what is agentic shift
2 ways of acting - autonomous state, agentic state
what is autonomous state
acting as an individual, direct their own behaviour, taking responsibility for actions
what is agentic state
- acting as an agent of an authority figure - deny responsibility
- Binding factors minimise the severity of your own actions
- individuals allow someone else to direct their behaviour – they pass responsibility to them
agentic shift
- People move from the autonomous state into the agentic state when confronted with an authority figure. –> This shift from autonomy to ‘agency’ is called the agentic shift.
- If we obey an order that goes against our conscience, we are likely to experience moral strain, which results when we have to do something we believe to be immoral in order to function as an agent of authority.
- Although people in such a situation may want to stop, they feel unable to do so due to binding factors – aspects of the situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour.
- The agentic state is an explanation of obedience that suggests an individual moves from the autonomous state where they act individually, to the agentic state, acting as an agent of authority and not taking responsibility for their actions.
- Binding factors minimise the severity of your own actions
binding factors
- minimise the severity of your own actions
- people remain in an agentic state because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of overcoming the situation.
- Although people in such a situation may want to stop, they feel unable to do so due to binding factors – aspects of the situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour.
- In Milgram’s study in order to break off the experiment the participant must breach the commitment made to the experimenter,and they do not want to be seen as rude. –> So the participant remains binded into obedience.
what are the +ve AO3 points for agentic state
Research support:
- Milgram
- Blass + Schmitt (2001)
Real world application
- Abu Ghraib prison
+ve AO3 Research Support - Milgram
- Milgram’s own research demonstrated how the majority of ordinary people will follow instructions even when they are acting against conscience –> intentionally causing harm to other person - electrick shocks
- also support for binding factors - In Milgram’s study in order to break off the experiment the participant must breach the commitment made to the experimenter,and they do not want to be seen as rude. –> So the participant remains binded into obedience.
+ve AO3 Research Support - Blass + Schmitt
found that people who saw Milgram’s study blamed the experimenter, indicating that they believed the participants were agents of authority.
+ve AO3 Real world application - Abu Ghraib prison
- The explanation is also supported by many historical events which demonstrate that as a result of social pressure normal people can act in a callous and inhumane way.
- The guards at Abu Ghraib prison behaved in ways which they would normally reject. The real-life guards at Abu Ghraib were very creative in their evil behaviour
what are the -ve AO3 points for agentic state
Personality:
- there are alternative reasons why people obey an authority figure. –> It could be due to personality rather than the situation.
- Situational explanation, ignores disposition (personality)
- agency theory cannot explain why some people disobey authority figures, as was shown by about a third of the participants in the original Milgram study.
what is legitimacy of authority
- an explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority
- This authority is justified by the individual’s position of power within a social hierarchy
- trust we have for authority
- The law always overpowers authority –> comes from the person’s position in a system
- Kelman + Hamilton (1989) suggest 3 main factors to explain obedience:
- Legitimacy of the system
- legitimacy of authority within the system
- legitimacy of demands or orders given
what is legitimacy of the system
- this concerns the extent to which the ‘body’ is a legitimate source of authority - government, army, school
what is legitimacy of authority within the system
- the power individuals hold to give orders because of their position in the system
- This is linked to status and the hierarchy within a particular establishment
what is legitimacy of demands or orders given
refers to the extent with which the order is perceived to be a legitimate area for the authority figure
what are the +ve AO3 points for legitimacy of authority
Real examples:
- Destructive authority such as Hitler and Stalin - shows us the theory is correct
- History has shown all too often that powerful leaders (such as Hitler, Stalin Pol Pot) can use their legitimate powers for destructive purposes,
- Destructive authority was shown in Milgram’s study when the experimenter used prods to order the pps to behave in ways that went against their consciences
what are the -ve AO3 points for legitimacy of authority
Cultural differences:
- Differences in how we obey
- Collectivist cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted
- Individualistic culture we question things
- The legitimacy theory is a useful account of cultural differences in obedience – in some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals
- This reflects the ways that different societies are structured and are raised to perceive authority figures
