Milgram's Experiment on Obdience

[Farnan]

After the Holocaust, many wondered why so many Germans went along with it. Were the Germans evil? Were they brainwashed? Was everyone ignorant?

Based on this, a psychologist, Dr. Milgram, began an experiment on obdience. This experiment was simple, it involved Milgram, a single subject at a time and an actor and some fancy props. Milgram would put the subject in a room next to what looked like an electronic device with wires leading to another room where the actor sat. The subject was told that they were testing learning and negative reinforcement. The subject would say a list of random numbers and the learner (aka actor) would try to repeat the list of random words correctly. If the learner failed to give the right answer the subject would give the learner an ever-increasing shock. This is what was told to the subject at least (in reality the actor was never shocked). Milgram would sit next to the subject in a white lab coat observing. As the actor failed to give the right answer, the subject would follow the instruction and give increased voltage shocks. Eventually the actor pretended to have heart problems and be in great pain. The subject would then usually tell Milgram about that, but Milgram would tell him to continue anyway. If the subject continued then eventually the learner feigned unconciousness. Again the subject will turn to Milgram and Milgram would tell the subject to continue the experiment. The goal was to see if the subject would follow the order to continue the experiment even if he knew it was causing pain and endangering the learner's life. The majority followed Milgram's orders, even when it was obvious to them that it was against their moral code, that was after Milgram assured them he would take responsibility.

Here is the wiki on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

And the video of the experiment on youtube:


What do you think of this study of obdience?

Edit: Just to show this is not only in the US, the experiment replicated in modern-day Britain:

[Serious Spamurai]

Most Germans didn't know about the holocaust, just that the jews were being "deported", so it would be much like this, just going along with it because the people who "knew better" said so. If you go to the doctor with pains in the left side of your chest, and he tells you that everything's okay, it's just a pulled pectoral muscle, you listen to them, don't you, you don't protest, because you know they know more than you, or you think they do.

[Farnan]

That's part of the point of the survey, though it checks more on the guards of the concentration camp than the average German. The idea is that the guards were not some psychotic people and weird, but rather normal people (if they would have opposed they would be abnormal actually) and that is what scared people about this experiment.

(By part of the point is the idea that the person in authority knows more than you)

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

It's not like many of the Guards thought it was wrong, anyway. They were indoctrinated into believing it was morally and biologically right.

[Farnan]

The goal is not to discuss the Germans as much as it is to discuss obdience, the German part was just the impetious behind the experiment.

[kev-o]

I saw something like this on an episode of Law and Order: SVU with Robin Williams guest staring in it. He did the same thing to Detective Stabler who thought Detective Benson was being electro-shocked, but it turned out to be fake.

[bushbush]

that's one of the most shocking experiment in history to me lol...just showed me to what extend an ordinary person can turn into a monster, if he or she thinks what he or she was doing was justified by a higher authority or was not his or her responsibility....

pretty disturbing. it explains a lot why things like Rwanda can happen when peaceful neighbors turned into murderers next day.

[Bond]

It is scary how people are willing to be obedient to authority(or perceived authority).

Also scary how people act with a lot of authority but vague instructions/guidelines:

Stanford Prison Experiment

[Kiljaden]

It is scary how people are willing to be obedient to authority(or perceived authority).

Also scary how people act with a lot of authority but vague instructions/guidelines:

Stanford Prison Experiment

I think that one wraps it up definitively, which is why we should fear (to the point of action, not inaction) and bring down\change societies and governments (assuming they are YOURS) that deindividualize, dehumanize, and indoctrinate the people in a fascist manner. The first steps of which we have already seen in consumerist fearmongering (TERRORIST) America.

[jankren]

I watched this for my Psychology class. Pretty cool stuff.

[roy34543]

Well a lot of guards did commit suicide during and after the holocaust.
But to those after i suppose its in question if they did it to escape allied wrath.

[bspiken]

I wonder whats the difference between the people who cant administer shocks and the ones that can. That 40% that cant or wont go all the way with the "treatment". What makes them stop? Experience? Stress management(they get way more stressed by the situation and cant continue)? Or something else entirely?

[Farnan]

I don't think anyone did a follow up study on why people quit. However, a group did a study using women and found women more likely to obey then men.

[bspiken]

Yes, I saw the follow up results, they are more likely to obey, however get more emotional stress by doing so (which kinda dissproves my idea that stress was a factor in quitting).

[Trax]

The quitters are those who understand that the experimentator cannot take responsibility if something goes wrong. They are intelligent enough to comprehend and fear the consequences of going all the way.

Also those with high level of empathy of course.

[Chaigidel]

I think its only natural for human beings to delegate decision making while in a group, otherwise nothing would get done--- we are evolved this way I think, so that we are able to accomplish very potent goals by way of our unified acceptance of authority.

[Chief Astook]

and for those of you who work you may notice that if you act like you know what you are doing even when you dont, you wont get caught or get in trouble and even if you act like you are supposed to be someplace you really arent you can get away with it