Ever wondered why people follow orders, even when they know...
Psychology104 views·Updated 20 Aug 2026·2 pagesUnderstanding Obedience Through Situational Factors
florence ❤️🩹@f1ossie44_
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Situational Explanations: When Good People Do Bad Things
Your brain has two main modes when it comes to authority, and understanding these could help explain some pretty shocking behaviour. The agentic state is like putting yourself on autopilot - you stop feeling personally responsible for your actions because you're just "following orders" from someone in charge.
Think of it as your moral conscience taking a backseat. When you're in this state, you genuinely believe you're just acting as someone else's agent, which frees you from feeling guilty about potentially harmful actions. It's the psychological equivalent of saying "don't blame me, I was just doing what I was told."
The opposite is the autonomous state, where you're fully independent and take complete responsibility for your choices. Milgram's research showed that people shift from autonomy to agency when they recognise someone as an authority figure - basically anyone higher up in the social hierarchy than them.
Key Insight: Even when people desperately want to stop obeying harmful orders, binding factors keep them trapped - these are situational elements that help them minimise or ignore the damage they're causing, reducing their moral discomfort.
2
of 2
Legitimacy of Authority: Why We Accept Being Controlled
Here's something that might surprise you: most of us actually want to be controlled, at least to some extent. Society works because we accept that certain people - police officers, teachers, judges - have legitimate authority over us, and we're generally fine with this arrangement.
From childhood, you've been trained to accept this hierarchy. Parents first, then teachers, then various authority figures throughout your life. This isn't necessarily bad - imagine the chaos if nobody followed traffic laws or school rules! We willingly give up some independence because we trust these figures to use their power appropriately.
The real danger comes with destructive authority - when legitimate power gets twisted for cruel or dangerous purposes. History shows us that powerful leaders can exploit our natural tendency to obey, convincing ordinary people to commit terrible acts simply because they were ordered to do so.
Reality Check: The dispositional explanation argues that some people have an authoritarian personality that makes them especially likely to obey - they're submissive to superiors but dismissive of those they see as inferior, often developing this trait from overly harsh or critical parenting.
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Psychology104 views·Updated 20 Aug 2026·2 pagesUnderstanding Obedience Through Situational Factors
florence ❤️🩹@f1ossie44_
Ever wondered why people follow orders, even when they know it's wrong? Understanding obedience isn't just about psychology textbooks - it explains everything from why students follow school rules to how tragic historical events happened. Let's explore the psychological forces...
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Situational Explanations: When Good People Do Bad Things
Your brain has two main modes when it comes to authority, and understanding these could help explain some pretty shocking behaviour. The agentic state is like putting yourself on autopilot - you stop feeling personally responsible for your actions because you're just "following orders" from someone in charge.
Think of it as your moral conscience taking a backseat. When you're in this state, you genuinely believe you're just acting as someone else's agent, which frees you from feeling guilty about potentially harmful actions. It's the psychological equivalent of saying "don't blame me, I was just doing what I was told."
The opposite is the autonomous state, where you're fully independent and take complete responsibility for your choices. Milgram's research showed that people shift from autonomy to agency when they recognise someone as an authority figure - basically anyone higher up in the social hierarchy than them.
Key Insight: Even when people desperately want to stop obeying harmful orders, binding factors keep them trapped - these are situational elements that help them minimise or ignore the damage they're causing, reducing their moral discomfort.
2
of 2Sign up to see the content. It's free!
- Access to all documents
- Improve your grades
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Legitimacy of Authority: Why We Accept Being Controlled
Here's something that might surprise you: most of us actually want to be controlled, at least to some extent. Society works because we accept that certain people - police officers, teachers, judges - have legitimate authority over us, and we're generally fine with this arrangement.
From childhood, you've been trained to accept this hierarchy. Parents first, then teachers, then various authority figures throughout your life. This isn't necessarily bad - imagine the chaos if nobody followed traffic laws or school rules! We willingly give up some independence because we trust these figures to use their power appropriately.
The real danger comes with destructive authority - when legitimate power gets twisted for cruel or dangerous purposes. History shows us that powerful leaders can exploit our natural tendency to obey, convincing ordinary people to commit terrible acts simply because they were ordered to do so.
Reality Check: The dispositional explanation argues that some people have an authoritarian personality that makes them especially likely to obey - they're submissive to superiors but dismissive of those they see as inferior, often developing this trait from overly harsh or critical parenting.
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Students love us — and so will you.
4.6/5App Store
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
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