Explanations for obedience

• what did Migram's two states

  According to Milgram, there are two states an individual can be in:

  • Autonomous state
  • Agentic state
• Autonomous state

  When in an autonomous state, people see themselves as behaving voluntarily. This means that people are less likely to obey unjust orders as they feel responsible for their actions.
• Agentic state

  When an individual is in an agentic state, they see themselves as acting

  on behalf (as an agent) of an authority figure. This means that when they obey an authority figure’s orders, they lose their sense of responsibility over their actions by diffusing it onto the authority figure. Being in an agentic state therefore makes people more likely to obey unjust orders as they do not feel responsible for their actions.
• Describe Legitimacy of authority

  Most societies are hierarchically structured, with certain individuals holding legitimate authority, often signified by uniforms. Society generally accepts that figures like police officers should use their authority to maintain order, leading individuals to obey those with recognized authority, trusting them to use it responsibly.
• evaluate the agentic state and legitimacy of authority as explanations for obedience.

  • it has received supporting evidence
  • has also received supporting evidence from another variation of Milgram’s obedience research.
  • is that they fail to explain individual differences in obedience rates
  • is that they have had practical applications.