Social power theory - AO3

Supporting research and credibility

The Social Power theory supports Milgram’s research into obedience. The ‘experimentor’ instructed the participant/ Teacher to administer shocks on the Learner/ confederate each time they got an answer wrong. Participants obeyed the experimenter (who they viewed as an authoritative figure) as 100% went up to 300V and 65% went up to the lethal maximum shock, 450V. This is due to the experimenter having expert power within the laboratory and legitimate power due to the grey lab coat and formal position. This support adds credibility to the social power theory.

Other explanations

The social power theory is a reductionist explanation to obedience. The Locus of Control theory on the other hand describes people having either an internal locus ( believing they are in control of events affecting them), meaning they’re less likely to obey, or an external locus, meaning they’re more likely to obey. The social power theory oversimplifies an explanation for obedience, as it only focuses on the authoritative figure.

Applications

The social power theory can be an explanation for obedience to real- life scenarios, for example The Holocaust. The Nazi soldiers believed Hitler was an authoritative figure due to his legitimate power ( within the battlefield and his social hierarchy) and coercive power. This caused the soldiers to obey, causing a mass tragedy in World War 2. This application strengthens the social power they as an explanation for obedience and adds validity to it.

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