Explanations for Obedience - Strengths and Weaknesses

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  • Created by: rosannaaa
  • Created on: 05-05-18 09:30

Explanations for Obedience - Strengths and Weaknesses

Advantages

  • Agentic State - SE - Milgram 1973 reported in a 'remote authority' variation, where confederate was not in the same room =, obedience declined from 62.5% to 20.5%.
  • Agentic State - Real Life App - Massacre at My Lai during Vietnam War. 504 unarmed civilians were killed by American soldiers, women were gang *****, people shot in the head, villages burnt down, LT William Calley said he was just obeying orders, supporting Agentic State.
  • Legitimacy of Authority - SE - Hofling et al 1966 found 21 of 22 nurses obeyed orders to give an overdose of an unknown drug Astroten by a fake doctor giving instructions over the phone

Disadvantages

  • Agentic State - CE - Members of the German Reserve Police Battalion 101 murdered civilians without being ordered to do so. They acted autonomously out of hatred, prejudice, racism and greed.
  • Agentic State - Gradual and Irreversible - Lifton 1986 found in a study of German doctors working at Auschwitz, they changed from ordinary medical professionals, concerned of Welfare of their patients to carrying out vile and lethal experiments of helpless prisoners.
  • Legitimacy of Authority - Cultural Differences - some countries differ in the degree to which people are traditionally obedient to authority (Aus 16%, Germany 80%).
  • Legitimacy of Authority - CE - Rank and Jacobson 1977 found only 2 of 18 nurses obeyed when a known drug (Valium) was ordered at 3 times the recommended drug by a known doctor.

Evaluation

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