Explanations for Obedience

Created by

Lexie

Cards (11)

Explanations for Obedience are based on Milgram's variations that he did on his original study- he developed several theories to explain why people are so likely to obey.
Agentic State: 1
Milgram said that to obey, we enter an agentic state.
This means that rather than acting autonomously (under our own control), we become an 'agent' of the authority figure & they now have control of what we do.
He called this process the 'agentic state'.
Agentic State: 2
When we enter an agentic state, it means we no longer see ourselves as responsible for our own actions, rather our behaviour is now the responsibility of the person giving the orders.
This means we are also exempt from any consequences, so can carry out heinous acts virtually guilt-free, which also helps us maintain a positive self-image (don't think we are a terrible person).
Eg, PPs in Milgram's study stated 'I was just doing as I was told', indicating that they would not have behaved in that way without the order from the authority figure
Autonomous State-> Agentic State
Agentic shift= the arrow
Legitimacy of Authority:
We will only obey someone that we perceive to be a legitimate authority figure, eg someone who we believe is in a position of social control & the power to punish disobedience.
Their position means that they have status above us & therefore are 'allowed' to tell us what to do.
We are taught from an early age to obey people in certain positions & we expect to be controlled by others in certain situations.
Eg, in the Milgram study, the PPs expected someone to be in control & the authority figure fills this role.
The most powerful forms of legitimate authority are often associated with a particular institution, eg police.
Both the explanations of Agentic State & Legitimacy of Authority work together; we will only shift into an agentic state if the person giving the orders is perceived to have legitimate authority over us.
Evaluation for Explanations for Obedience- Strength:
There's support for the role of agentic state in obedience research: in Milgram's original study, the 'experimenter' said he would take responsibility for the 'teachers' actions, eg allowing an agentic shift.
However, in a variation of the study, obedience was reduced if the experimenter said that the PP had responsibility for their actions.
These findings indicate the importance of the agentic state in determining levels of obedience.
Evaluation for Explanations for Obedience- Weakness:
There's evidence to suggest agentic state doesn't explain real life obedience- Lifton studied German doctors who had been employed at Auschwitz to carry out often vile & torturous experiments on the helpless prisoners.
It is suggested that rather than merely following orders, these once caring individuals had been changed by the evil acts they had performed.
This undermines the validity of the theory in explaining obedience.
Evaluation for Explanations for Obedience- Strength:
There's support for the role of the legitimate authority in obedience research.
In Milgram's study, the experimenter wore a grey lab coat & was from a prestigious uni- this makes the study & authority figure seem legitimate.
When the venue is moved to a run-down office, obedience rated dropped to 48%.
When the experimenter role was taken over by an 'ordinary member of the public' in everyday clothes rather than a lab coat, obedience= 20%.
Findings indicate importance of the legitimate authority in determining levels of obedience.
Evaluation for Explanations for Obedience- Strength:
There's evidence for the role of legitimate authority in real life obedience- Tarnow (2000) analysed serious aviation accidents over a 12 year period, & found that more than half involved excessive dependence on the captain & an unwillingness to question his or her expertise & authority- even when it was obviously dangerous.
These findings support the validity of the role of legitimate authority in real obedience.