Agency Theory

• Agency theory


  Milgram (1973) suggested there are 2 distinct modes of social consciousness. The change between them is agentic shift
• Autonomous State


  people direct their own behavior and take own responsibility.
• Agentic state 


  people allow someone else to direct their own behavior in the face of authority, obeying without question.
• Moral strain - agency theory


  when we obey an order that goes against our conscience and we see a immoral to be an agent of authority, we experience moral strain
• Binding factors - agency theory


  when you want to stop but are unable due to things that lock you into a situation.
• Buffer aspects - agency theory


  allow a person to minimize the damaging affects of their behavior.
• Evaluation - agency theory

  1. Positive - Milgram said ppts. were under moral strain and that when under social pressure normal people act callously and inhumane.
  2. Positive - Blass and Schmitt found that people blames the experimenter in Milgram's study seeing as ppts. were agents of authority.
  3. Negative - obedience is because of personality, agency can't explain why people disobey, suggests that agency theory is a limited explanation.