Agency Theory

• Agency theory (Milgram, 1973, 1974) argues that obedience can be explained by a shift in how we view ourselves and our behaviour.
• Milgram argues that agency theory is socialised from a young age because it benefits society.
• PRO: There is plenty of research to support Agency theory. For example, Milgram’s participants showed signs of moral strain by laughing nervously and some continued after being reassured that the researcher would accept responsibility (agentic shift).
• PRO: Agency theory can explain real-life situations of obedience such as the Holocaust. Arguably, people would not ordinarily carry out the actions of the Holocaust in their autonomous state. By viewing themselves as acting on another person’s orders they rid themselves of personal responsibility for their actions and this allows them to carry out immoral actions.
• CON: Agency theory has been criticised for promoting the idea that people are not responsible for their actions when following orders. In addition, people could say they are in an agentic state when in reality they are acting of their own accord. After the Holocaust, surviving members of the Nazis said that they were simply following orders. It is impossible to know whether members of the Nazis were acting according to their own beliefs or in an agentic state.