This Controversial Experiment Explored How Authority Influences Our Willingness To Obey
During the 1960s, a groundbreaking experiment proved that most people might just follow orders even when it meant inflicting pain on others. The Milgram obedience experiments were conducted by Stanley Milgram, a psychologist from Yale University.
They were highly controversial and explored how authority influences people’s willingness to obey. In the experiments, an authority figure instructed participants to administer what they thought were harmful electrical shocks to another person.
The findings revealed that people are significantly swayed by authority and show high levels of obedience. More recent investigations have challenged Milgram’s results, but even so, there is no doubt that his experiments have made a major impact on psychology.
Milgram began his experiments in 1961, shortly after the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a World War II criminal who was one of the main organizers of the Holocaust.
Eichmann’s defense was that he had simply been doing what he was told when he ordered the deaths of millions of Jews.
This stirred Milgram’s interest. In the most famous variation of the Milgram experiment, 40 men were recruited using newspaper ads.
Each participant was paid $4.50. Milgram developed a shock generator with shock levels that started at 15 volts and went all the way up to 450 volts.
The switches on the machine were labeled with phrases like “slight shock” or “danger: severe shock.” The last three switches just had “XXX” on them. The participants would deliver shocks to a person in the next room whenever an incorrect answer was given.
The participants believed they were delivering real shocks, but the other person was only pretending to be shocked.
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As the experiment continued, the participants would hear the other person beg to be released or mention a heart condition.
At the 300-volt level, the person receiving the so-called shocks would bang on the wall, pleading to be released.
After this point, they fell silent and did not answer any more questions. The silence was considered an incorrect response, so the participants were instructed to administer a further shock.
Most of the participants asked the experimenter if they should continue. The experimenter responded with a series of phrases that ranged from polite encouragement to direct commands. Obedience levels were measured by the intensity of the shock that the participant was willing to deliver.
Many subjects became upset, agitated, and angry with the experimenter, but they continued to follow orders throughout the entirety of the experiment.
The results showed that 65 percent of participants administered the maximum shocks, which is 26 out of 40. Meanwhile, 14 participants stopped before reaching the highest levels.
Milgram suggested that certain situational factors could account for the high levels of obedience that were observed.
For instance, the physical presence of an authority figure who was assumed to be an expert dramatically increased compliance.
In addition, the experiment was sponsored by Yale, a trusted academic institution, so it was believed to be safe. The shocks were also said to be painful, not dangerous.
Later experiments revealed that the presence of rebellious peers reduced obedience levels, with 36 out of 40 participants refusing to give the maximum shocks.
Milgram’s experiment cannot be replicated today due to serious ethical and moral concerns, but it has inspired other researchers to investigate the relationship between authority and obedience.
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