Obedience to authority

• Obedience- the tendency to follow the orders of a superior without questioning them.
• Legitimate authority- power whose use is considered just and appropriate by those over whom the power is exercised.
• Buffers- psychological defence mechanism that helps to protect an individual from experiencing negative emotions or stress.
• Experimental validity- the degree to which an experiment measures what it is supposed to measure.
• Gradual commitment- explains obedience in terms of the individual being asked to perform trivial, seemingly harmless tasks. Once the person has complied with such requests, they find it increasingly difficult to refuse to carry out more serious (& escalating) requests.
• Ecological validity- the extent to which the findings of the study can be applied to real life situations.
• Agentic state- when an individual gives up their autonomy and moral responsibility to an authority figure.