Social Psychology

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What is the autonomous state?
When you carry out your actions on your own free will and feel responsible for your own actions
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What is the agentic state?
This is when we are under the control of someone who holds authority, and we then obey what they tell us. We sometimes experience moral strain when in this state
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What is moral strain?
When we go against our conscience and do something we feel guilty for under the agentic state
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How does Milgram support this theory?
When interviewed afterwards, the participants who went to 450v said they felt less responsible and blamed the authority figure. This supports the shift in state existing
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How is the theory useful?
It allows us to understand events (like the Holocaust) and why people may have gotten involved in such horrible crimes (for example, the guards following orders)
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Why could Milgram be conflicting evidence?
His sample was very small and only males so lacks ecological validity and isn't generalisable to the wider population
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Why can't it be the whole explanation?
Because it ignores individual differences which means it cannot explain why some obey and some don't
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What is the problem with testing this theory?
It isn't very empirical as little evidence from brain scans has been gathered to support the theory
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What other theories are there?
Social impact theory is better for taking into account other factors as the agency theory has been criticised for focusing too mcuh on the person obeying rather than why
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What is the agentic state?

Back

This is when we are under the control of someone who holds authority, and we then obey what they tell us. We sometimes experience moral strain when in this state

Card 3

Front

What is moral strain?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How does Milgram support this theory?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How is the theory useful?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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