In Milgram's obedience study,many participants who administered the highest shock adopted the attitude "It's his problem,I'm just following orders." This is an example of
A)wanting to be polite.
B)having a moral obligation to continue.
C)routinizing the task.
D)handing over responsibility to authority.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This attitude of handing over responsibility to authority is known as the agentic state, in which individuals perceive themselves as agents acting under the authority of someone else and relieve themselves of personal responsibility for their actions. This was seen in Milgram's study as participants who administered the highest shock levels believed that the responsibility for the consequences of their actions lay with the authority figure conducting the experiment, and not with themselves.

In Milgram's Obedience Study,many Participants Who Administered the Highest Shock