Active learning ideas
Obedience involves following the direct orders of an authority figure. This topic covers Stanley Milgram’s controversial research and his 'Agency Theory', which suggests we move from an autonomous state to an agentic state when we perceive someone else as responsible for our actions. Students also explore Adorno’s 'Authoritarian Personality' as a dispositional explanation for why some people are naturally more submissive to authority.
Activity 01
Divide the class into two sides: one arguing that Milgram’s study was ethically unjustifiable due to deception and harm, and the other arguing that the findings were so important for society that the ends justified the means.
Why do people obey authority figures?
Activity 02
Students act out a scenario where an 'authority figure' (a teacher or boss) gives an increasingly unusual order. The 'subordinate' must narrate their internal thoughts, identifying the exact moment they feel they are no longer responsible for their actions.
What is the agentic state?
Activity 03
Stations around the room display traits of the Authoritarian Personality (e.g., obsession with status, rigid thinking). Students move in groups to find real-world or fictional examples of characters who fit these traits and discuss how they were raised.
How does an authoritarian personality develop?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Milgram’s participants were 'evil' or 'monsters'.
The participants were ordinary people; the study showed that the *situation* was the primary driver of their behaviour. Using the 'agentic state' concept in role-plays helps students see how anyone can lose their sense of individual responsibility.
Obedience and conformity are the same thing.
Obedience is following a direct order from an authority figure, while conformity is following the unspoken pressure of a peer group. A simple Venn diagram activity can help students distinguish these two social influences.
Methods used in this brief
Conformity and Dispositional Factors
Students analyse why people conform to group pressures, examining Asch's research and the role of dispositional factors. They will differentiate between normative and informational social influence.
8 methodologies
Prosocial Behaviour and Bystander Intervention
Students explore the bystander effect and factors influencing prosocial behaviour. They will review Piliavin's subway study and the impact of deindividuation.
8 methodologies