Revision:Psychology AQA A PYA3 - Obey/Resist

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Why do People Obey?

~ Milgram’s participants were determined to absolve themselves from personal responsibility. If a person denies responsibility for their actions and says that they are only carrying out orders, they are in the agentic state. People are more likely to obey if they are in the agentic state.

~ Obeying orders can result in cognitive dissonance, the ‘just world’ hypothesis can resolve the contradictions that can be caused by following orders and encourage obedience.

Why do People Resist Obedience?

~ Reactance can dramatically decrease obedience. It may occur when we want to protect our sense of freedom. Blatant attempts to restrict our freedom can result in a ‘boomerang’ effect causing people to do the opposite of what is asked.

~ Exposing people to disobedient models increases disobedience. It may be difficult to confront the authority figure alone, but the presence of allies allows people to see disobedience as legitimate.

Also See

• Asch Criticisms
• Milgram Criticisms
• Moscovici Criticisms
• Obey/Resist
• Why yield?

Comments

These notes are for AQA A Level psychology PYA3.