AO1

• Agentic state:

  • Milgram (1973) proposed the concept of an agentic state to explain why people are prepared to go against their conscience and do as they are told even if it causes them considerable distress. He suggested that there are two distinct modes of social consciousness. One is the autonomous state in which we act according to our own conscience and we feel responsible for our actions. In this state, the vast majority of people behave decently towards others.
• Agentic state: (2)

  • The second is the agentic state in which we are no longer independent but act according to instructions from someone else. When in this state people justify their behaviour by saying that they acted that way because they were instructed to do so. People move from the autonomous state into the agentic state when confronted with an authority figure.
• Agentic state: (3)

  • This shift from autonomy to ‘agency’ is called the agentic shift. If we obey an order that goes against our conscience, we are likely to experience moral strain, which results when we have to do something we believe to be immoral in order to function as an agent of authority. Although people in such a situation may want to stop, they feel unable to do so due to binding factors  – aspects of the situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour.
• Legitimacy of Authority:

  • The first thing required for someone to shift into an ‘Agentic State’ is the presence of a legitimate authority. Milgram defined legitimate authorities as ‘those who are seen to be in a position of control due to their hierarchy within a specific social situation’.
  • Certain positions hold authority over the rest of us, e.g. parents, teachers. The authority they wield is agreed by society. Most of us accept that authority figures have to be allowed to exercise social power over others because this allows society to function smoothly.
• Legitimacy of Authority: (2)

  Authorities are seen as legitimate if: 

  •  society agrees on their social status and power over others
  •  they represent a respected institution
  •   they wear a recognised uniform


  E.g. social status (headmaster), institution (school), uniform (suit and staff landyard). When legitimate authorities use their power and social status for evil purposes they become destructive authorities.