One other way of looking at it is more of what Cialdini describes in "the psychology of influence". Basically, the world around us is too complex for our biological brains to really grasp, so we look for short cuts to get us through the day. One of those shortcuts is deferring to apparent authority. Same results (looking to others for answers), but a little more based on evolutionary bio / psychology as opposed to a "people as sheep" POV.