agentic state

• Agentic state


  When a person believes that someone else will take responsibility for their own actions
• Agentic shift


  When a person shifts from an autonomous state (where they believe they will take responsibility for their own actions) to an agentic state
• Legitimacy of authority


  How credible the figure of authority is - people are more likely to obey if the authority is seen as credible, morally good/right, and legitimate
• Situational factors


  Factors in the situation that can influence obedience, such as the presence of an authority figure
• Agentic state


  When people believe they are acting on behalf of an authority figure, rather than taking personal responsibility for their actions
• Legitimacy of authority


  How credible the figure of authority is, in terms of being morally good/right, and legally based or law abiding
• Students are more likely to listen to their parents or teachers than other unknown adults
• Expert authority


  When the authority figure is seen as legitimate because they are a knowledgeable and responsible expert, like a scientist
• Proximity


  Participants obeyed more when the experimenter was in the same room (62.5%) compared to separate rooms (40%) or touch proximity (30%)
• Location


  Participants obeyed more when the study was conducted at a prestigious university, as it demands obedience and increases trust in the researchers
• Uniform


  Participants obeyed more when the experimenter wore a lab coat, as it gives them higher status and greater sense of legitimacy
• Agentic State


  • act on behalf of another person
  • doesn't feel any personal responsibility for their actions
  • Binding factors reduce the 'moral strain'
• Legitimacy of authority


  • Most societies are structured hierarchically & people in certain positions hold more power than others
  • legitimate authority consequence = people are granted power to punish others & we hand over control & independence to people we trust to exercise their authority appropriately
  • Charismatic leaders use their legitimate power for destructive purposes (eg. Hitler, Stalin, etc)
• autonomous state


  • Opposite of the agentic state is agentic state
  • behaves according to their own principles & feels responsible for their own actions
• Binding factors:


  aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimize the damaging effect of their behavior and thus reduce the 'moral strain' they are feeling.