The Experts below are selected from a list of 129 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Davide Morselli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Disobedience and support for democracy: Evidences from the World Values Survey
    Social Science Journal, 2012
    Co-Authors: Davide Morselli, Stefano Passini
    Abstract:

    Abstract For some time, social movement research and political science have studied protests and activists. However, little empirical research attempts to relate movements to the type of social change they endeavour to achieve. In this paper, we suggest that different psychosocial processes may distinguish between different types of movement and protest. In particular, we cross lines between classical social psychology studies on the individual–Authority Relationship and studies on protest and social movements. We focus attention on the psychological processes triggered in obedience/disobedience. Our results show that when disobedience is associated with attitudes of inclusiveness, it is also positively linked to prodemocratic individual attitudes and to the enhancement of democracy at institutional levels.

  • new perspectives on the study of the Authority Relationship integrating individual and societal level research
    Journal for The Theory of Social Behaviour, 2011
    Co-Authors: Davide Morselli, Stefano Passini
    Abstract:

    The concept of Authority crosses many social sciences, but there is a lack of common taxonomy and definitions on this topic. The aims of this review are: (1) to define the basic characteristics of the Authority Relationship, reaching a definition suitable for the different domains of social psychology and social sciences; (2) to bridge the gap between individual and societal levels of explanation concerning the Authority Relationship, by proposing an interpretation within the framework of social representations. The Authority Relationship can be conceived as a negotiation of meanings and it is closely linked to shared value orientation and the attribution of meanings negotiated within a society. We assume that the Authority Relationship is socially constructed and represents both a shared representation of society and a normative principle of social life. A multidisciplinary approach is adopted, crossing definitions and studies provided in sociology, political science, law and social psychology.

  • disobeying an illegitimate request in a democratic or authoritarian system
    Political Psychology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Stefano Passini, Davide Morselli
    Abstract:

    Crimes of obedience in the form of illegal or immoral acts committed in response to orders from Authority occur in many contexts. In particular, under some circumstances of threats, people can easily accept restrictions upon democratic procedures. Recent studies have underlined the role of legitimacy in understanding the Authority Relationship and the importance of evaluating the legitimacy of the request rather than the legitimacy of the Authority in preventing the rise of authoritarianism. The purpose of this study was to verify if people respond differently when an illegitimate request is put forward by a democratic or an authoritarian Authority. The results on 224 subjects confirmed that people tend to be more obedient when they perceive authorities as democratic, notwithstanding the legitimacy of their requests.

  • Authority Relationships between obedience and disobedience
    New Ideas in Psychology, 2009
    Co-Authors: Stefano Passini, Davide Morselli
    Abstract:

    Recent episodes of public dissent, such as demonstrations against the G8 policy over the last 10 years and the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs, have staked their claim to a more profound focus on the meaning of disobedience within democratic systems. Are these acts of disobedience a form of non-institutionalized political action or some form of social deviance? Indeed, on the one hand, such disobedient actions are the expression of dissent arising from citizens, who want to be part of the decision-making process concerning global issues. On the other, protests often turn into urban guerrilla warfare causing damage to people and objects that are difficult to curtail. From a social-psychological standpoint, these phenomena raise relevant questions concerning the psychological processes set off in obeying and disobeying the Authority, and on the role that disobedience has in the Relationship between individuals and society. Even if obedience to Authority is an important aspect of social life and it plays a key role in maintaining social order, the concept of obedience has been studied in social psychology mainly in terms of its destructive aspects. Besides, most of the studies have overlooked the role of disobedience in the Authority Relationship. Disobedience may be conceived of as a protest that undermines the legitimacy of the Authority or it can represent an instrument for controlling the legitimacy of the Authority's demands, becoming a factor protecting against authoritarianism. In this article, a new perspective on the study of the Relationship between the individual and the Authority is put forward, considering obedience and disobedience as parallel concepts, each having constructive and destructive aspects.

Stefano Passini - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Disobedience and support for democracy: Evidences from the World Values Survey
    Social Science Journal, 2012
    Co-Authors: Davide Morselli, Stefano Passini
    Abstract:

    Abstract For some time, social movement research and political science have studied protests and activists. However, little empirical research attempts to relate movements to the type of social change they endeavour to achieve. In this paper, we suggest that different psychosocial processes may distinguish between different types of movement and protest. In particular, we cross lines between classical social psychology studies on the individual–Authority Relationship and studies on protest and social movements. We focus attention on the psychological processes triggered in obedience/disobedience. Our results show that when disobedience is associated with attitudes of inclusiveness, it is also positively linked to prodemocratic individual attitudes and to the enhancement of democracy at institutional levels.

  • new perspectives on the study of the Authority Relationship integrating individual and societal level research
    Journal for The Theory of Social Behaviour, 2011
    Co-Authors: Davide Morselli, Stefano Passini
    Abstract:

    The concept of Authority crosses many social sciences, but there is a lack of common taxonomy and definitions on this topic. The aims of this review are: (1) to define the basic characteristics of the Authority Relationship, reaching a definition suitable for the different domains of social psychology and social sciences; (2) to bridge the gap between individual and societal levels of explanation concerning the Authority Relationship, by proposing an interpretation within the framework of social representations. The Authority Relationship can be conceived as a negotiation of meanings and it is closely linked to shared value orientation and the attribution of meanings negotiated within a society. We assume that the Authority Relationship is socially constructed and represents both a shared representation of society and a normative principle of social life. A multidisciplinary approach is adopted, crossing definitions and studies provided in sociology, political science, law and social psychology.

  • disobeying an illegitimate request in a democratic or authoritarian system
    Political Psychology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Stefano Passini, Davide Morselli
    Abstract:

    Crimes of obedience in the form of illegal or immoral acts committed in response to orders from Authority occur in many contexts. In particular, under some circumstances of threats, people can easily accept restrictions upon democratic procedures. Recent studies have underlined the role of legitimacy in understanding the Authority Relationship and the importance of evaluating the legitimacy of the request rather than the legitimacy of the Authority in preventing the rise of authoritarianism. The purpose of this study was to verify if people respond differently when an illegitimate request is put forward by a democratic or an authoritarian Authority. The results on 224 subjects confirmed that people tend to be more obedient when they perceive authorities as democratic, notwithstanding the legitimacy of their requests.

  • Authority Relationships between obedience and disobedience
    New Ideas in Psychology, 2009
    Co-Authors: Stefano Passini, Davide Morselli
    Abstract:

    Recent episodes of public dissent, such as demonstrations against the G8 policy over the last 10 years and the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs, have staked their claim to a more profound focus on the meaning of disobedience within democratic systems. Are these acts of disobedience a form of non-institutionalized political action or some form of social deviance? Indeed, on the one hand, such disobedient actions are the expression of dissent arising from citizens, who want to be part of the decision-making process concerning global issues. On the other, protests often turn into urban guerrilla warfare causing damage to people and objects that are difficult to curtail. From a social-psychological standpoint, these phenomena raise relevant questions concerning the psychological processes set off in obeying and disobeying the Authority, and on the role that disobedience has in the Relationship between individuals and society. Even if obedience to Authority is an important aspect of social life and it plays a key role in maintaining social order, the concept of obedience has been studied in social psychology mainly in terms of its destructive aspects. Besides, most of the studies have overlooked the role of disobedience in the Authority Relationship. Disobedience may be conceived of as a protest that undermines the legitimacy of the Authority or it can represent an instrument for controlling the legitimacy of the Authority's demands, becoming a factor protecting against authoritarianism. In this article, a new perspective on the study of the Relationship between the individual and the Authority is put forward, considering obedience and disobedience as parallel concepts, each having constructive and destructive aspects.

Nestar Russell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to AuthorityRelationship” Condition: Some Methodological and Theoretical Implications
    The Social Sciences, 2014
    Co-Authors: Nestar Russell
    Abstract:

    In May 1962, social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, ran what was arguably the most controversial variation of his Obedience to Authority (OTA) experiments: the Relationship Condition (RC). In the RC, participants were required to bring a friend, with one becoming the teacher and the other the learner. The learners were covertly informed that the experiment was actually exploring whether their friend would obey an experimenter’s orders to hurt them. Learners were quickly trained in how to react to the impending “shocks”. Only 15 percent of teachers completed the RC. In an article published in 1965, Milgram discussed most of the variations on his baseline experiment, but only named the RC in passing, promising a more detailed account in his forthcoming book. However, his 1974 book failed to mention the RC and it remained unpublished until Francois Rochat and Andre Modigliani discovered it in Milgram’s personal archive in 1997 at Yale University. Their overview of the RC’s procedure and results left a number of questions unanswered. For example, what were the etiological origins of the RC? Why did Milgram decide against publishing this experiment? And does the RC have any significant methodological or theoretical implications on the Obedience studies discourse? Based on documents obtained from Milgram’s personal archive, the aim of this article is to shed new light on these questions.

  • stanley milgram s obedience to Authority Relationship condition some methodological and theoretical implications
    The Social Sciences, 2014
    Co-Authors: Nestar Russell
    Abstract:

    In May 1962, social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, ran what was arguably the most controversial variation of his Obedience to Authority (OTA) experiments: the Relationship Condition (RC). In the RC, participants were required to bring a friend, with one becoming the teacher and the other the learner. The learners were covertly informed that the experiment was actually exploring whether their friend would obey an experimenter’s orders to hurt them. Learners were quickly trained in how to react to the impending “shocks”. Only 15 percent of teachers completed the RC. In an article published in 1965, Milgram discussed most of the variations on his baseline experiment, but only named the RC in passing, promising a more detailed account in his forthcoming book. However, his 1974 book failed to mention the RC and it remained unpublished until Francois Rochat and Andre Modigliani discovered it in Milgram’s personal archive in 1997 at Yale University. Their overview of the RC’s procedure and results left a number of questions unanswered. For example, what were the etiological origins of the RC? Why did Milgram decide against publishing this experiment? And does the RC have any significant methodological or theoretical implications on the Obedience studies discourse? Based on documents obtained from Milgram’s personal archive, the aim of this article is to shed new light on these questions.

Francesco Fattori - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Maura Pozzi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.