Milgram's agency theory (social)

• Milgram's agency theory

  • We obey because we are acting as an agent for an authority figure
• Agentic state

  • Person follows orders with no sense of personal responsibility
• Autonomous state

  • Person makes their own free choices and feels responsible for their own actions
• Agentic shift

  • Describes the change from autonomous to an agentic state
• Culture - Social hierarchy 


  • Hierarchy in society is where some people have more authority than others
  • We live in a culture where we respect the social hierarchy
• Proximity

  • Milgram's further studies suggests that if the teacher was physically close to the learner, the teacher was less obedient
• Evaluation of agency theory (1)

  • Research support
  • Some students blamed the experimenter for Milgram's study rather than the teacher
  • Students recognised legitimate authority of the experimenter as cause of obedience
• Evaluation of agency theory (2)

  • Agency theory can't explain why there isn't 100% obedience
  • 35% of participants did not go up to 450 Volts
  • Social factors can't fully explain obedience
• Evaluation of agency theory (3)

  • Gives people an excuse for blind obedience
  • Racist and prejudiced nazis did more than follow orders
  • Agency theory is potentially dangerous as it excuses people