Explanations for Obedience

What is the Agentic State explanation for obedience?

People enter an Agentic State when they see themselves as acting on behalf of half of an authority, so they fell less responsible for their actions.

Example: Milligrams Participants continued giving shocks because they believed the experimenter was responsible. This explains why people obey authority even when it goes against their own morals.

How does Legitimacy Of Authority explain Obedience

People obey those they see as having legitimate power in social hierarchy. (E.g. police, teachers, bosses)

Research shows appearance can affect obedience: Bickman (1974) found people were more likely to obey someone dressed as a security guard than in plain clothes.

Example: In Milgrams study, the experimenter wore a lab coat and gave instructions in a Yale University setting. Participants were more likely to administer high-voltage shocks because they viewed the experimenter as a legitimate authority with the right to give orders. This shows that the perceived status of an authority figure increases obedience, even when actions go against personal morals.

strength explanations of obedience? - research supports

In Milgram’s study, 65% of participants gave the maximum 450 volts.

In Blass & Schmitt (2001) found students blamed the experimenter, seeing him as the authority.

This supports agentic state and legitimacy of authority as reasons for obedience.

strength of explanations of obedience? - Practical Application

The agentic state and legitimacy of authority explain events like the Holocaust and My Lai massacre, where ordinary people harmed others under orders. This shows obedience research is useful for understanding real-world behaviour.

weakness of explanations of obedience? - dispositional factors

dispositional factors - It cannot explain why some people disobey, even when they could blame authority for their actions. This shows the theory only gives a situational explanation and ignores dispositional factors like personality.

weakness of explanations of obedience? - Determinism

Determinism - Another limitation of both the Agentic state and legitimacy of authority is that they are deterministic. They suggest that individuals have little or no control over their actions when obeying authority. However, in reality, people can resist orders and use free will.