|
Advantages
- Supporting by research evidence - Milgrams study, all participants delivered electric shock to 300 volts, 65% delivered shocks up to 450 volts.
- Holfing et al - field experiment where real lifehospital nurses acted as agents to the orders an unknown doctor (dr smith) treating patients which could of lead to an overdose.
- Offers a credible explanantion for obedience. Helps to explain real life situation such as the Holocaust where people would not freely deport men/women/children to the concentration camps in an autonomous state but where in fact following 'orders' from an authoritative figure
- It is useful,if during training exercises people could be made aware of agentic states so that they can take responsibility for their own actions. In 2004, evidence from the Abu Graib prison in Iraq showed that prisoners of war where tortured and humilated and US prison excused their actions for 'doing their job'
|
Disadvantages
- Levels of obedience from Milgrams study and the Holocaust show that some people may be more obedience then others, Zimmer suggested the theory of an 'authoritarian personality' and used the psychometric test and found Nazi soldiers and US soldiers personalities to differ slightly.
- Ethical implications -remove personal responsibilities from those who commit atrocities under pressure.Offers an excuse for those 'just following orders' even though they aware what they have done is wrong.
- Anti-social implications- this theory could be used negatively resulting in manipulation into the agentic state (use knowledge to make people do negative things)
|
Comments
No comments have yet been made