6) Situational Explanations - Obedience

Question 1

What are the two explanations for obedience

Answer 1

• Agentic state
• Legitimacy of authority

Question 2

What is Agentic state

Answer 2

• Becoming an ‘Agent’ for another, loose all personal responsibility for own actions

Question 3

What is an autonomous state

Answer 3

• Being independent and behaving according to own principles

Question 4

What is an agentic shift and when does it happen

Answer 4

• Shift from autonomous to ‘agent’
• Occurs when we perceive someone is of higher authority

Question 5

What are binding factors

Answer 5

• Reducing ‘moral strain’
• e.g denying damage (Milgram)

Question 6

What causes legitimacy of authority

Answer 6

• Societies are structured hierarchically, learning to accept authority during childhood

Question 7

EV 1 Agentic state - research support

Answer 7

• Most of Milgrams ps asked ‘Experimenter’ who is responsible if the learner is harmed
• Experimenter - “im responsible’ ps went through procedure without objecting
• easily acted when believed to be ‘agent’

Question 8

EV 2 Agentic state - Doesn’t explain many research findings

Answer 8

• Most nurses disobeyed doctor to give drug overdose (Rank and jacobson)
• Doctor have more authority than nurses but remained autonomous did not shift into agentic state
• can only explain obedience in some situations

Question 9

EV 1 Legitimacy of authority - can explain cultural differences

Answer 9

• Countries differ in obedience to authority
• 16% Australian women obeyed, 85% German participants obeyed in a study conducted
• authority is seen as more legitimate in some cultures, reflecting upbringing

Question 10

EV 2 Legitimacy of authority - cannot explain all (dis)obedience

Answer 10

• People may disobey even when accepting authoritarian figure
• Rank and Jacobson nurses, some of milligrams ps
• Innate tendency to (dis)obedience may be more important than legitimacy of authority