Agentic state and legitimacy of authority -A-Level Psychology

Milgram explored social-psychological factors of obedience.

Table of Contents

Agentic state:

A person sees themselves as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes,

where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure.Agents still experience a moral strain when they realise what they are doing is wrong ,but they feel powerless to disobey.

Milgram referred to the process of shifting responsibility for one’s actions on to someone else as an ‘agentic shift’.It involves moving from an autonomous state where a person sees themselves as responsible for their own actions to an agentic state.

In an autonomous state one is free to behave independently and freely.

One explanation as to why people adopt an agentic state is the need to maintain a positive self image.As the action is no longer their responsibility ,it no longer reflects their self image.

Binding factors-people remain in an agentic state because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of overcoming the situation.In Milgram’s study in order to break off the experiment the participant must breach the commitment made to the experimenter,and they do not want to be seen as rude.So the participant remains binded into obedience.

Legitimacy of authority:

A person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation.

The first condition for a person to shift into an agentic state is the perception of a legitimate authority.People are more likely to obey those who are perceived to have more authority.This authority is justified by the individual’s position of power in the social hierarchy.

The definition of the situation-people tend to accept definitions of a situation that are provided by a legitimate authority.In Milgram’s study ,the participants themselves perform the action of shocking the learner but let the authority figure define its meaning.

Legitimate authority requires an institution-If an authority figure’s commands are of a potentially harmful or destructive form,then for them to be perceived as legitimate they must occur in some sort of institutional structure.

Evaluation:

Agentic state vs plain cruelty– Zimbardo’s participants may have used the situation to express their sadistic tendencies, guards inflicted rapidly escalating cruelty to prisoners even though there was no authority figure telling them to – Obedience may be caused by certain aspects of human nature.

Research support-Blass and Schmitt(2001) showed a film of Milgram’s study to students and asked them to identify who they felt was responsible for the harm to the learner.The students blamed the experimenter and indicated that the responsibility was due to legitimate authority as he was seen to be a scientist.They recognized legitimate authority as the cause of obedience ,thus supporting this explanation.

The agentic state is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual gives up their autonomy and moral responsibility to an authority figure. In this state, the individual perceives themselves as an agent of the authority figure and is willing to carry out their commands, even if it goes against their own moral code.

Legitimacy of authority refers to the perceived right of an authority figure to have power and control over others. This can be based on various factors, such as expertise, position, and tradition.

The agentic state is often triggered by the perceived legitimacy of authority. When individuals perceive an authority figure as having the right to give commands, they may enter into an agentic state and follow those commands, even if they would not normally do so.

Some examples include soldiers following orders to commit atrocities during war, individuals participating in cults and blindly following the leader, and individuals obeying the commands of an abusive partner or authority figure.

One way to prevent the agentic state is to encourage critical thinking and questioning of authority. Another way is to promote a sense of personal responsibility and accountability, so individuals are more likely to question commands that go against their values.

Understanding these concepts can be helpful in improving leadership and communication skills. By recognizing the power of authority and the potential for the agentic state, individuals can learn to use their authority responsibly and communicate in a way that encourages critical thinking and independent decision-making.

Some critics argue that these theories do not take into account individual differences and context-specific factors that may influence behavior. Additionally, some argue that the focus on authority and obedience may oversimplify complex social and psychological phenomena.