Milgram, (1963) Obedience Study

Milgram, (1963) Obedience Study Yale University, “Obey at Any Cost” Subjects “gave” electric shocks to “learners” giving shocks.

Theoretical Proposition: How could people be capable of carrying out great harm to others simply because they were ordered to do it… “I was only following orders.”

Milgram believed: The tendency to obey is deeply ingrained. It cancels out a person’s ability to behave morally, ethically, and sympathetically.

People have a tendency to obey people of authority- even if they violate their own codes of behavior. They would inflict pain on people if ordered to do so.

Method:  Simulation of learning- people volunteer to participate in study  Said they would participate.  Are made to believe they get the job of “teacher” by random selection  They must ask questions, of people in another room, if the “respondents” answer questions inappropriately.  Teacher gives “shocks” with increasing levels of intensity.  Respondents complain… “Teachers” ask for guidance form “Authority” and are told to continue with the experiment.  Continued protests are recorded and Authority says “You have not other choice, you must go on.”  Obedience is recorded  Level 30 shock is identified as obedient  Under 30 is defiant

Results: 14 subjects defied orders 26 of 40 - people = 65% obeyed

Subjects- showed signs of extreme Stress, Concern, Anger but still obeyed.

Discussion: 2 main points Milgram’s view People exhibited a strong tendency to obey. Obedience cause stress and tension Subjects made rationalizations why they should obey:  See page 308 for quote.  Yale sponsor- “Who am I to question.”  Goals are important, “I’ll do my part.”  “The learner volunteered.”  “I got this part by chance.”  “I better do a good job I was paid.”  I’ll yield to the psychologist he knows better.  Shocks are not dangerous but painful.

Significance: People obey, when they don’t really want to and they will inflict pain on someone else if Authority figure tells them to.

Found that the physical and therefore emotional distances of the victim from the teacher altered the amount of obedience. Highest level of obedience – 93% occurred when the learner was in another room.

Physical distance of Authority figure influenced obedience Closer = more obedience

Proximity = Closer = more obedience

When people had a choice about the level of shock they only used number 2.