Essay

To what extent can Agency Theory explain obedience and dissent? 8 marker

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Module
Unit 1 - Social psychology

Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)

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Uploaded on July 11, 2021
Number of pages 2
Written in 2020/2021
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A+

EVALUATE/ASSESS/TO WHAT EXTENT QUESTIONS
PSYCHOLOGY ESSAY PLANNER (8 MARKS)
TITLE: Evaluate Milgram’s agency theory as an explanation for obedience

INTRO:
Obedience is a form of social influence, where an individual follows a direct order. There are different stages
to the theory including the autonomous state, the agentic shift and the agentic state. The autonomous stage is
where the individual behaves independently and makes their own decisions taking full responsibility for
their actions. The agentic shift is when we perceive someone to be a figure of authority so switch from the
autonomous state to the agentic state. The agentic state is when we carry out orders from an authority figure
and we take our actions to not be our responsibility.

STRENGTH: COUNTER:
However, Gina Perry
POINT: One strength of agency theory is that it is supported by Milgrams questioned the internal
1963 study. validity by saying ppts saw
through the experiment and
EVIDENCE: Participants were asked by a researcher in a lab coat to deliver realized the shocks were fake.
fake shocks to a confederate every time they got a question in a learning
task wrong. However, the participant did not know the socks were fake.

EXPLANATION: 100% would administer a shock of 300v to confederate
65% went to 450v danger extreme shock. This is important because it
clearly supports agency theory and that when told to do something by
legitimate authority, they would do it, despite moral strain

LINK: Therefore, agency theory is clearly demonstrated by some valid
research.

MINI CONCLUSION: Despite this, research is still important in
demonstrating how agency theory operates.

WEAKNESS: COUNTER:
However, the theory can be
POINT: One weakness of the Agentic shift is that it is not inevitable applied to real life situation in
the military. They use the fact
EVIDENCE: Rank and Jacobsen study found that 16 out of 18 nurses that when binding factors
disobeyed orders from a doctor to administer an overdose of valium to a outweigh moral strain there will
patient be obedience. The authority
figure dehumanizes the enemy.
EXPLANATION: This means that even though doctors are an obvious This shows that an authority
source of legitimate authority the majority remained autonomous, proving figures language can minimize
that the nurses did consider themselves responsible which is why they did moral strain. Showing good
not carry out the task. ecological validity.

LINK: Therefore agency theory will not occur in all situations so it is not a
complete explanation of obedience.

MINI CONCLUSION: Despite that it is not inevitable in all cases it can be
shown to be used in the real world so therefore it is an ecologically valid
theory.

CONCLUSION:

Although… it can be said that research supporting agency theory is not internally valid.
It can also be said that…. It is a good explanation of obedience which can be applied to real life situations
improving them.

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