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A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
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Conflict experience and resolution underlying obedience to authority.

Felix J Götz1, Vanessa Mitschke2, Andreas B Eder3

  • 1Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany. felix-johannes.goetz@ur.de.

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This study reveals that people are more willing to obey destructive commands when under authority pressure. Experiencing conflict during obedience, particularly when harming others, increases negative feelings and a sense of responsibility.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Obedience Research

Background:

  • Obedience research often overlooks the internal conflict experienced when complying with an authority's demands.
  • Understanding this conflict is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of obedience and its psychological underpinnings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the psychological conflict and its resolution during obedience using the object-destruction paradigm.
  • To examine the suitability of the object-destruction paradigm for studying conflict in obedience.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted where participants were instructed by an experimenter to destroy objects, including live bugs, using a modified coffee grinder.
  • A control group was reminded of their free choice, while the experimental group faced direct demands. Both groups received prods if they hesitated.

Main Results:

  • Participants in the demand condition showed greater willingness to destroy bugs compared to the control group.
  • Instructions to destroy bugs, relative to other objects, increased self-reported negative affect in both experiments.
  • In the second experiment, compliant participants exhibited increased tonic skin conductance and reported higher agency and responsibility post-destruction.

Conclusions:

  • The object-destruction paradigm effectively elicits and measures conflict during obedience.
  • Findings illuminate the psychological experience of conflict and its resolution in obedience, contributing to theories like agentic shift and engaged followership.