The Agentic State and legitimacy of authority

How do obedient people feel about their own actions

Not responsible

They attribute responsibility to a figure of authority

What does Milgram call the move from n autonomous state to an agentic state

The Agentic Shift

What do people in an agentic state see themselves as

An Agent for carrying out someones wishes

Why do people adopt the agentic state

To maintain a positive self image

What state are individuals in when they assess the consequences of their actions in relation to their self image

Autonomous state

What type of factors cause people to be obedient

Binding Factors

What is the first condition needed to shift to an agentic state

The perception of a legitimate authority

What does Milgram state the shared expectation is and what part of his study fitted this

That many situations ordinarily have a socially controlling figure. The experimenter fitted this role

People tend to accept definitions of situations that are provided by people in a position of…

Authority

who do people allow to define the meaning of an action

people in a position of authority

Does an institution need to be distinguished

No

Did the levels of obedience stay high in a run down institution

yes

Tarnow (RWA)

Studied data from a US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) about flight accidents between 1978-1990 where flight crew actions were a contributing factor

Found excessive dependence on captains authority

Lifton

Dr’s had gradually changed from medical professionals who cared about the well-being of the patients to people capable of violent acts (eg The Holocaust)