Agentic Shift and Legitimate Authority

• Agentic state


  Not responsible for their own action- attribute responsibility onto someone else
• Agentic shift


  The shifting of responsibility from the autonomous state where the person sees themselves as responsible to the agentic state
• In Milgram's study, the obedient participants were asked why they administered electric shocks- they said they were doing what they were told to do
• Individual in agentic state


  Feels responsible to the authority directing him or her but none for the actions that the authority dictates
• Self-image and agentic state

  • Maintain positive self image
  • Participant may assess the consequences of an action for their self image and refrain- autonomous state
  • Once moved into agentic state- no longer relevant because the action is no longer the person's responsibility so doesn't change their self-image
  • Actions performed under the agentic state from the participant viewpoint is guilt free
• Binding factors


  • Aspects of the situation that allow the individual to ignore or reduce the moral strain due to consequences of behaviour
  • Place blame on victim or deny they are hurting them
  • Make people remain in an agentic state- once someone has agreed to conduct a behaviour they may feel guilty or rude if they then disagree
• Legitimate authority


  • Someone who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation
  • Power isn't from personal characteristics but the position they are in a social situation
  • Milgram's study- the experimenter fills this as it fits the participant's expectation of encountering someone in charge so not challenged
• Definition of the situation

  • Tendency for people to accept definitions of a situation that are provided by a legitimate of authority
  • The participant allows the authority figure to define the action performed
  • One hand- apparent suffering of learner in Milgram's study convinces them that they should quit
  • Other hand- the experimenter who is a legitimate authority to whom the subject feels some commitment to order them to continue as
  • This is because the experimenter reassures the participant that the learner is fine and is in no danger
• Legitimate authority requires an institution
• In Milgram's study- when the participants moved to a run-down location the obedience slightly decreased to 48%
• The category of institution could have an impact- a scientific lab to be more competent than another
• Examples of agentic state and legitimacy of authority

  • Milgram's shock experiment- the participants felt they weren't responsible due to experimenter
  • Hofling's study- nurses trusted the doctor even if he was fake due to the legitimacy of the authority in that situation- 21/22 followed orders without any hesitation
  • Holocaust
  • Actions of American soldiers in 1968 in Vietnam war- soldiers found a village of non combatants instead of the Vietcong fighters and killed over 500 villagers- the Lt Calley the man who ordered the mass murder stated that he was following the order of his superior officer