Situational, dispositional explanations

• What is the agentic state in Milgram's theory?

  Mental state of feeling no responsibility
• Why do individuals experience moral strain in the agentic state?

  They realize their actions are wrong but feel powerless
• What is the opposite of the agentic state?

  Autonomous state
• What does the autonomous state entail?

  Feeling free to act according to personal principles
• What is the agentic shift?

  Shift from autonomy to agency
• When does the agentic shift occur according to Milgram?

  When a person perceives someone as an authority figure
• What are binding factors in Milgram's theory?

  Aspects that minimize moral strain and allow obedience
• How do individuals use binding factors to remain in the agentic state?

  By shifting responsibility or denying harm done
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the agentic state explanation?

  Advantages:

  • Supported by Milgram’s studies

  Disadvantages:

  • Agentic shift doesn't explain all obedience findings
  • Rank and Jacobson's study shows exceptions
• What is the legitimacy of authority in Milgram's theory?

  Trust in authority figures to exert power appropriately
• How do cultural differences affect obedience according to Milgram's theory?

  Some cultures accept authority as legitimate more than others
• What did Kilham and Mann find in their replication of Milgram's experiment in Australia?

  Only 16% went all the way up the voltage scale
• What did Mantell find in his study in Germany regarding obedience?

  85% went all the way up the voltage scale
• What is the dispositional explanation for obedience?

  It highlights the importance of individual personality
• What is the authoritarian personality according to Adorno?

  A personality type especially susceptible to obeying authority
• What did Adorno conclude about high levels of obedience?

  They are a psychological disorder linked to personality
• What was the sample size in Adorno's study?

  2000 middle class white Americans
• What did Adorno use to investigate unconscious attitudes?

  The F-Scale
• What characteristics did people with high F-Scale scores exhibit?

  Identified with strong people and contemptuous of the weak
• What cognitive style did Adorno associate with the authoritarian personality?

  No 'fuzziness' between categories of people
• What are some characteristics of the authoritarian personality?

  Prejudiced, strict, disciplined, and loyal
• How does Adorno explain the origins of the authoritarian personality?

  Forms from harsh parenting and conditional love
• What is scapegoating in the context of the authoritarian personality?

  Displacing fear and hatred onto perceived weaker individuals
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the authoritarian personality explanation?

  Advantages:

  • Supported by Elms and Milgram's research

  Disadvantages:

  • Complex link between obedience and authoritarianism
  • Cannot explain obedience in large populations
• What did Elms and Milgram find in their research on obedient participants?

  Obedient participants scored higher on the F-scale
• What did researchers find when analyzing individual subscales of the F-scale?

  Obedient participants differed from authoritarians in many ways
• Why is Adorno's theory considered limited?

  It cannot explain obedience in a majority of people
• What alternative explanation does the social identity theory provide for obedience?

  Identifying with the anti-Semitic Nazi state