Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
0.0 / 5
- Created by: Thucydides
- Created on: 19-05-19 23:14
What does Milgram (1974) mean by the term agentic shift?
This is when an individual shifts from and autonomous to an agentic state
1 of 29
What is an Autonomous state?
A state in which an individual holds themselves responsible for thier onw actions
2 of 29
What is an agentic state?
a state in which an individualsees themselves as an agent of an authority figure
3 of 29
what was a typical answer to the question why did you continue to adminster shocks to the learner?
"I wouldn't have done it, I was just doing what I was told to do"
4 of 29
What is the most far reaching consequence of the agentic state?
The individual feels responsible to the authority figure, but has no responsibility for their own actions
5 of 29
Why might an individual in an autonomous state refrain from engaging in the wishes of an authoritarian figure?
Because it might damage their self image
6 of 29
Why might an idnividual in an agentic state follow the wishes of an authority figure?
because the shift in responsibilitymeans that the individual no longer sees their actions as reflective of their self image, but instead the image of the autheortarian figure
7 of 29
What is the consepense for this loss of self image?
from the agentic individuals perspective their actions (however inhumane) are guilt free
8 of 29
How does social ettiquertte act as binding factor to the agentic state?
In order to defy the authority figure the agentic individual would have to break the commitment they made to them. This would be seen as arrogant and rude and deter the individual from disobeying
9 of 29
What is the first condition needed for an agentic shift?
The authority figure must demonstrate themselves to be legitimate authrity fuigures
10 of 29
What did Milgram (1974) beleive about legitimate authority figures?
Most social situations have a natural authority figure, therefore authority is conveyed less through personality traits and more through their percived position in the social situation (eg. doctor in hospital)
11 of 29
How doies the legitimacy of authority apply to Milgram's experiment?
when the PPs arive they expect to find an authority figure, the experimenter fulfils this role for them by making a few introductory remarks which meet the PPs's expectation
12 of 29
When an individual performs an action why do they allow the authority figuure to define its meaning?
because people have a tendency to accept the definitions of situations provided by a legitimate authority figure
13 of 29
How does authorities definitions of the situation effect Milgram's experiment?
On the one hand the learner's distress concvinces the PPs that their actions are wrong, however the experimenter to whom the PPs made a commitment defines the learners status as fine making it eaiser ot accept
14 of 29
What is required to maintain legitimacy of the orders of the authority figure are destructive or harmful?
An institution like the militery or a University
15 of 29
How did Milgram demosntrate the need for an institutuion?
In one condition of his experiment he moved the location of the estudy from Yale (obedience 65%) to a "bridgeport reaserch asociates building" (48%)
16 of 29
What did Milgram consider the definitive example of the the agentic state ant hte legintimacy of authority?
THe My Lai massacre carried out by Lt William Calley and his men in 1968.
17 of 29
Why did Milgram beleive My Lai was the definitive example?
because after Killing 500 unarmed villigers in a few hours, Cally refused to take responsibility for his actions at a milityery tribunal , saying he was merely following the orders of his CO Capt, Medina
18 of 29
E1: What was Lifton's (1986) key critisism of the Agentic shift?
It does not account for slower and more perminent transformation such as observed in the nature of the german doctors working at Auschwitz.
19 of 29
E1: How were the Auswichtz doctors different from Milgram's description of the agentic state?
They were slowley turned from healthcapre porffesionals concerend with peoples welll being into people capable of carrying out inhumane experiments upon the inmates
20 of 29
E1: How does Staub (1989) account for the Holocaust atrocities?
Srtaub (1989) suuggested that instead of the agentic shift, it was instead the act of carrying out evil of a protracted period of time that changed the internal beleifs of the holocaust perpetrators
21 of 29
E2: altyhough Milgram continued to beleive firmly in the Agentic shift he conceeded that other cauases might lead someone to obeying an authority figure, what were these?
Some social scitists felt that PPs used obedience to justify carrying out cruel andsadistic acts
22 of 29
E2: Which study lent legitimacy to this claim?
Haney (1973) in which the guards had decended to the level of humiliating the prisoners and sevely mistreating them by the 6th day
23 of 29
E3: What are the positive consequences of obedidence to authority figures?
It means that people respond quickly when spoken to by police officers or the emergency services
24 of 29
E3: what are negetive consequencses of obedience?
It can serve as a basis for justifying harm to others, while aliviating the individual of guilt and responsibility. Such action leads to incidents such as My Lai, Nanking, The bombing of Dreseden and the holocaust
25 of 29
E3: why does obedience to authority have such negetive consequences?
Because by asking others to make a moral judgment on ou behalf makes our own moral judgement worthless
26 of 29
E4: Why did Fennis and Aarts beleive that the agantic shift was more widely aplicable to more situations other than obedience?
Fennis and Aarts (2012) belived that the agentic shift was as a result of a reduction of the experience of personal control of their actions and an increased acceptence of external influnences
27 of 29
E4: In which other suituations did Fennis and Aarts (2012) consider the agentic shift to be applicalbe?
Through a series of lab and feild experiment Fennis and Aarts came the conclusion that the agentic shif resulted in bystander apethy (the tendecncy to remain passive in emergency situations) and greater compliance with behavoioral requests
28 of 29
E5: How did Tarnow's (2000) review of NTSB auircraft crashes b Reverse Sideetween 1979 and 1990 provide supporting evidence for the role of legitimacy in authority?
It showed that the second officers were hesitent to challenge the authority of the pilot even if they made evidently risky or unorthodox manouveres
29 of 29
Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
What is an Autonomous state?
Back
A state in which an individual holds themselves responsible for thier onw actions
Card 3
Front
What is an agentic state?
Back
Card 4
Front
what was a typical answer to the question why did you continue to adminster shocks to the learner?
Back
Card 5
Front
What is the most far reaching consequence of the agentic state?
Back
Similar Psychology resources:
4.0 / 5 based on 3 ratings
5.0 / 5 based on 2 ratings
0.0 / 5
0.0 / 5
Comments
No comments have yet been made