Social Agency Theory (Milgram)

• Autonomous state


  We have free will and act according to our own conscience, in a way that we believe to be right and we feel responsible for our actions (majority act decently)
• Agentic state


  We surrender our free will and act as an agent to a LAF, no longer acting according to our conscience. We also no longer feel responsible for their actions, and defer responsibility
• Agentic shift


  Shifting from the autonomous to agentic state when confronted with an authority. They justify their behaviour by saying that they acted that way because they were told to
• Moral strain


  Doing something immoral as an agent of authority to benefit from society. Use defense mechanisms like denial
• General AO1

  Obedience is a mechanism for a stable society to create social order and harmony. People are born with a predisposition to obey, but this is only realised when they are socialised into following direct orders of a LAF​
•  :) Face validity


  Agency theory explains peoples behaviours in different social situations, especially how ordinary people can go against their moral code and commit atrocities. T/f the theory makes sense in society and has positive applications to everyday obedient behaviour​
• :) Supporting evidence by milgram


  Demonstrates moral strain as ppants showed signs of sweating, trembling, digging fingernails into flesh, and shows deferred responsibility as ppants blamed experimenters for their own actions. T/f milgrams study supports the validity of the Agency theory as it shows....
• :( Prob with supporting research – mundane realism


  task of...isnt smth from everyday life t/f ppant behaviour/display of moral strain isnt naturally occuring​
• :( Cant prove agentic state scientifically 


  It’s a state of mind + internal mental process so is a hypothetical construct. T/f cant be empirically proved​