Why do people obey authority figures even when it causes harm?
Obedience: Milgram's agency theory, the factors affecting obedience (proximity, location and uniform), and dispositional factors such as the authoritarian personality.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.5, covering obedience, Milgram's agency theory, the factors affecting obedience (proximity, location and uniform) and dispositional factors such as the authoritarian personality.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to define obedience, explain Milgram's agency theory, describe the situational factors affecting obedience (proximity, location and uniform), and explain dispositional factors such as the authoritarian personality. This is a core Social influence topic in Paper 2, examined with explanation and evaluation items.
What is obedience and Milgram's agency theory
Situational factors affecting obedience
Three situational factors change obedience. Proximity: obedience is higher when the authority figure is physically close and lower when they are distant (for example, giving orders by phone); obedience also falls when the victim is closer, because the consequences feel more real. Location: obedience is higher in a setting that seems legitimate and prestigious (such as a respected institution) and lower in a run-down or ordinary setting. Uniform: a uniform acts as a visible symbol of legitimate authority, so people obey someone in uniform more readily than someone in everyday clothes.
Dispositional factors: the authoritarian personality
Not everyone obeys equally, which points to dispositional (personality) factors. The authoritarian personality describes people who are especially obedient to authority, hold rigid views, respect those above them in status and are hostile to those below. This personality is thought to develop from a strict upbringing. It is a dispositional explanation because it locates the cause of obedience in the individual rather than the situation, complementing Milgram's largely situational account.
Try this
Q1. Define obedience. [2 marks]
- Cue. Following a direct order from a person in authority.
Q2. Identify the shift from feeling personally responsible to feeling the authority is responsible. [1 mark]
- Cue. The agentic shift (into the agentic state).
Q3. Explain how a uniform can increase obedience. [2 marks]
- Cue. A uniform is a visible symbol of legitimate authority, so people are more likely to follow the order.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20194 marksExplain Milgram's agency theory of obedience. (Paper 2, Section A)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain item rewards the two states plus how they explain obedience.
Milgram's agency theory says people can act in one of two mental states. In the autonomous state a person acts on their own free will and feels responsible for their actions. In the agentic state a person sees themselves as acting for an authority figure, so they feel the authority, not themselves, is responsible (this is called the agentic shift). According to the theory, people obey harmful orders because they have entered the agentic state and no longer feel personally responsible, which reduces the moral strain of obeying.
Markers reward defining the autonomous state, the agentic state and the agentic shift, and linking the agentic state to obeying because responsibility is passed to the authority figure.
AQA 20214 marksExplain how proximity and uniform affect levels of obedience. (Paper 2, Section A)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain item rewards a developed point on each factor.
Proximity: obedience falls when the authority figure is further away (for example, giving orders by telephone rather than in the same room) and when the victim is closer to the person obeying, because the consequences feel more real and the authority's pressure is weaker. Uniform: obedience rises when the person giving orders wears a uniform (such as a guard or official outfit), because the uniform is a visible symbol of legitimate authority, so people are more likely to follow the order.
Markers reward the proximity effect (closer authority and more distant victim increase obedience, and the reverse decreases it) and the uniform effect (a symbol of authority raises obedience), each explained.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification — AQA (2017)