Essay
Explain 2 explanations of obedience
- Course
- Institution
An essay of why people obey from social influence chapter 1, 1st year of A level psychology. This was graded 14/16.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
ellielougolf2005
Content preview
Ellie Mitchell RevisionReadyUKOutline and evaluate 2 explanations for obedience (16 marks)
There are 2 explanations into obedience, agentic state band
legitimacy to authority.
When people are in the agentic state they want to seem good by
following rules to impress people. These people think they are not
responsible for their actions because they obey to an authority figure
who seems to know what they are doing. Milgrim referred to this
process of shifting responsibility for one’s actions onto someone else
as an agentic shift. The agentic shift involves moving from an
autonomous state (where they see themselves viable for their
actions) to the agentic state, where they see themselves carry out
someone else’s wishes. In Milgrim’s study, when participants were
interviewed after and asked why they carried on the electric shocks
the most common reply was “I wouldn’t have done it myself, I was
just doing what I was told to”. The participants feel responsible to
the authority figure but however take no responsibility over their
actions. Self-image plays a crucial role in describing why people obey
to an authority figure, even if internally they know it isn’t right
(adopting an agentic state). Wanting to maintain a positive self-
image, tempted to do what was requested, such as shocking the
learner. The participant may asses their consequences of this action
for their self-image and refrain. Furthermore, once the participant is
in the agentic state this consequence evaluation becomes no longer
a concern, as this is no longer their responsibility and doesn’t reflect
their self-image. Any action performed under the agentic state are
from the participants perspective and virtually guilt free, however
inhumane they may be. A way of keeping someone in the agentic
state is binding factors, in all social situations and experiments, social
etiquette plays a part In regulating our behaviour. In order to break
off the experiment, a participant must breach the commitment that
they gave to the experimenter. Leading to the participant fearing to
break away from the experiment, thinking he will appear
arrogant/rude and wont take their decision lightly. These emotions,
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ellielougolf2005. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.47. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now