Agentic state

• What is the autonomous state?

  A state where we perceive ourselves to be responsible for our own behaviour so we feel guilt for what we do.
• what is the agentic state?

  a state where we act for an authority figure and feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour
• what is the agentic shift?

  the shift from autonomous state to the agentic state
• what is the agentic shift caused by?

  a higher authority becoming presnet
• describe the agency theory in milgrams experiment.

  • autonomous state - before entering experiment.
  • agentic shift - meeting experimenter.
  • agentic state - obeying to the experimenter to deliver shocks.
  • experimenter is in higher social hierarchy.
  • teacher felt no responsibility
• what are binding factors?

  aspects of a situation that allow people to ignore the damage they’re doing and reduce the moral strain they’re feeling.
• what is moral strain?

  what we experience when an authority figure issues an order that goes against our conscience
• what are our two urges when being ordered?

  1. obey authority figure.
  2. obey our conscience
• how does moral strain appear as?

  physical distress
• how did the participants reduce moral strain with defence mechanisms?

  • denial - some convinced themselves the shocks were not dangerous.
  • avoidance - many tried not to look at the experimenter
• what removes moral strain and why?

  • agentic state
  • because we regard the authority figure as now being responsible for our actions
• Why are the situational explanations a limited explanation?

  • Agentic shift does not explain many research findings about obedience.
  • Rank and Jacobson 16/18 disobeyed - remained autonomous.
  • Agentic shift only account for some situations
• evalaute cultural differences?

  • kicham and mann (1974) replicated milgram procedure in Australia- 16% went to full V.
  • Mantell (1971) replicated in germany- 85% went to full. V.
  • authority can be more likely accepted as legitimated and entitled to demand obedience.
  • societes are structured differently and shows how children are raised to perceive authority figures.
• evaluate hwy behaviour of nazis cannot be explained in terms of authority and agentic shift.

  • Mandela (1998)
  • soldiers obeyed orders to shoot individuals in a small town in Poland.
  • they did not have direct orders to do so and could be assigned to other duties if preferred.