agentic state and legitimacy of authority

• what is agentic state?


  The agentic state is when a person acts on behalf of an authority figure of a higher status,

  they don't feel any guilt or responsibility for their actions as they see themselves as just an agent obliged to carry out another's wishes. This is the opposite to the autonomous state when people act according to their own principles. People start in this autonomous state and then e the agnetic shift occurs which is when they switch into the agentic state.
• reasons for agentic state?

  • People often adopt an agentic state to maintain a positive self image.There are some binding factors that keep people in the agentic state.
  • The subject fears to be seen as arrogant or rude if they break the commitment, their emotions help to bind them to obedience
• what is legitimacy of authority?

  • .a legitimate authority is Someone who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation
  • when a person recognises their own and other positions in a social hierarchy it leads to recognition of the authority figure’s right to issue demands
• • Legitimacy is increased by...
  • visible signs of authority.
• • People have a tendency to accept definitions of a situation that are provided by a legitimate authority and feel subject to them even if personally they believe something different to them.
  • For an authority to be perceived as legitimate it often requires an institution, particularly if some of the authority’s commands are potentially harmful.

  Eg many in milgram’s experiment compiled because they had confidence in the integrity of the people which resulted from the fact they were from yale which is a well thought of institution.
• agentic state and Milgram

  • interwiews at the end of his experiement when asked why they continued the typical reply was ' i wouldn't have done it by myself I was just doing what i told'