A01

• Milgram's exploration of obedience stemmed from Adolf Eichmann's defence where he claimed to have merely followed orders. The concept of the agentic state, where individuals have no personal responsibility and act on behalf of an authority figure, experiencing moral strain but feeling unable to disobey. Conversely, an autonomous state allows individuals to act according to personal principles and take responsibility for their actions.
• The shift from autonomy to agency (agentic shift) occurs when individuals perceive someone as an authority figure, recognising their power within social hierarchies. Milgram noted participants' reluctance to disobey despite wanting to stop, attributed to binding factors that mitigate moral strain, such as shifting responsibility or denying harm to victims.
• Societal structures uphold the legitimacy of authority, granting power to individuals like parents, teachers, and law enforcement. However, the acceptance of legitimate authority can lead to destructive outcomes when authority figures abuse power, as seen historically with leaders like Hitler and Stalin. Milgram's study exemplified destructive authority, as participants obeyed commands against their conscience under the experimenter's prods.