Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Social: Why does Blind Obedience
occur in a prison setting?
- Describe
- Example: Abu Ghraib, horrific acts of the US military
- 2004 - evidence found of Iraqi prisoners
being the subject of torture and abuse by the
US milirary at Abu Ghraib prison
- corrupt and enjoyed making the prisoners suffer
- soldiers argued, they were just doing as they were told;
obeying authority for the purpose of interrogation
- Explain
- could be due to dispositional behaviour;
- result of corrupt soldiers +
their individual personalities
- some soldiers did not participate in
the aggressive behaviour, some even
attempted to stop abuse
- still in autonomous state: down
to own strength of morals
- Psychological theories that explain
such horrific acts and obedience:
- In and Out groups
- increased hostility towards prisoners; soldiers - in group, prisoners - out group
- predjudice and discrimination
- keep groups self esteem high
- leads to viloence
- Social Identity theory
- identified with the group; all wear the same uniform
- allegiance to one another
- deindividualised and feel less responsible for own actions
- also, mere existence of another group creates rivalry
- Sherif et al. Robbers Cave study
- 22 eleven 11year old boys split into two groups
and even before competition, conflict arouse.
- Behaviour was situational
- carrying out actions influenced by each other, more likely to
follow violent orders as the group encourages one another
- Social Power
- obedience due to the legitimate and coercive power the authority held
- Blind Obedience
- Agency theory
- maintain a stable society - general tendency to obey those in authority
- Autonomous
- Agentic
- though moral strain may show, individual gives up
moral beliefs for the interests of the wider population
- soldiers were
obeying authority
- Hofling et al.
- 21/22 nurses administered lethal dosage of astrogen