2-Social Psychological Factor Legitimacy of Authority

• Legitimacy of authority


  An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us. This authority is justified (legitimate) by the individual's position of power within a social hierarchy
• The "I was simply following orders" argument cannot always be used to explain the behaviour of the Nazis, as some acted autonomously without direct orders
• Kelman and Hamilton (1989) argue the My Lai massacre can be understood in terms of the power hierarchy of the U.S. Army
• Blass and Schmitt (2001) showed students blamed the experimenter rather than the participant, due to the experimenter's legitimate authority
• Kilham and Mann (1974) found only 16% of Australian participants went to 450 volts, while Mantell (1971) found 85% of German participants did, showing cultural differences in obedience to authority
• Studies on cultural differences in obedience

  • Kilham and Mann (1974) replicated Milgram's procedure in Australia and found that only 16% of participants went all the way to 450 volts
  • Mantell (1971) found in a different replication that 85% of German participants went to the full voltage
• Authority


  In some cultures, authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate, demanding obedience from individuals
• This reflects the way different societies are structured and how children are socialised to perceive authority figures
• Different cultures have differing levels of obedience due to how they view authority
• Support from cross-cultural research increases the validity of the legitimacy of authority explanation