Milgram’s work into obedience provided us with valuable insights into why people obey, even though it was carried out in a laboratory. Outline two explanations of why people obey.

There are two primary explanations for obedience in Milgram's study. The first is centred upon the agentic state. Agency theory says that people will obey authority when they believe that the authority will take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. This is evident in Milgram's obedience study when participants were reminded that they had responsibility for their actions, almost none of them were prepared to obey. In contrast, many participants who were refusing to go on did so if the experimenter said that he would take responsibility.

Additionally, the legitimacy of an authority figure played a role in this experiment as well. People tend to obey others if they recognise their authority as morally right and/or legally based (i.e. legitimate). This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations, for example in the family, school and workplace. With regard to Milgram's study, the experimenter is seen as having legitimate authority as he has scientific status.