Explanations for Obedience (OCR A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes

1.2.1 Explanations for Obedience

Obedience

A form of social influence that involves a person following an order from another person who is usually an authority figure.

Agentic state

When a person believes that someone else will take responsibility for their own actions.

Milgram believed people were acting as an agent on behalf of an authority figure

They may feel moral strain that what they're doing is wrong but are powerless as they are in a lower position in the social hierarchy

Agentic shift:

When a person shifts from an autonomous state to an agentic state.

Autonomous state:

The state a person believes they will take responsibility for their own actions and have the freedom to act independently

Legitimacy of authority

Things we are socialised to accept because it is identified as authoritative

A person is more likely to obey someone wearing a uniform as it gives them a higher status and a greater sense of legitimacy

However…

Destructive authority:

Some authority figures have exploited their legitimate authority to cause destruction, when they order people lower down in the social hierarchy to act in cruel ways.

Situational factors

Environmental factors that influence behaviour

Dispositional factors

Individual characteristics that influence behaviour