obedience: situational explanations

• what does autonomy mean?

  means to be free or independent. This means they feel responsibility for their own actions
• what are the strengths of situational explantions ?

  Most of Milgram’s participants stopped and asked the E who was responsible. When he replied and said he was, the participants continued normally. This shows that they acted as the E agentalso Kilham and Mann found out that only 16% of Australian women went to the highest V in a Milgram style study and Mantell found that it was 85% for germans. This shows that different cultures may perceive authority in different ways and in different people as they may think others are  more entitled to how others think.
• what are limitations for Situational explanations ?

  It doesn't explain the Rank and Jacobson when nurses were ordered by a doctor to administer an excessive drug dose to a patient and 16/18 nurses disobeyed. Although the doctor was an authority figure they disobeyed so it can only apply to some situations. also , A significant minority of Milgram’s participants disobeyed even after recognising the E scientific authority. Other people maybe more or less obedient than others.
• explains cultural differences ?

  Kilham and Mann found out that only 16% of Australian women went to the highest V in a Milgram style study and Mantell found that it was 85% for germans. This shows that different cultures may perceive authority in different ways and in different people as they may think others are  more entitled to how others think.
• Autonomy means to be free or independent.

  This means they feel responsibility for their own actions.the shift from this to agency is called agentic shift. This is when they perceive someone else as an authority figure most likely due to social hierarchy.Milgram said many of his participants said they wanted to stop but felt powerless. This is because of the binding effect as they minimise the damaging effect of their actions.They may shift the responsibility to the victim or deny the damage they were doing.Some people are given the power to punish us but problems arise when they use it to be destructive.
• can't explain all disobediences?

  legitimacy can't explain disobedience in hierarchy where legitimacy of authority is clear and accepted. nurses in rank and Jacobsons study were disobedient despite working in rigidly hierarchical authority structure. some people may be more obedient than others and innate tendencies to obey or disobey have greater influence on behaviour
• agent state?

  mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour as we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure.
• legitimacy of authority?

  explanation for obedience which suggests were more likely to obey people we perceive to have authority over us.