The Milgram Experiment is a famous psychological study on obedience, designed by social psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1961 and published in 1963. The experiment aimed to measure how obedient individuals could be to authority figures. Milgram wanted to understand why so many people, particularly Nazi officers and others during World War II, resorted to the defense of “I was just following orders.”
General Structure of the Experiment
There were three main roles in the experiment:
- The Experimenter (authority figure) – a person wearing a white lab coat.
- The Teacher (participant) – the volunteer who participated in the study.
- The Learner (actor) – a person who was actually part of the experiment but whom the participant believed to be the learner.
Stages of the Experiment
- The participant (in the role of the teacher) was told that the “learner” would take a memory test, and if the learner answered incorrectly, the teacher would administer an electric shock. With each wrong answer, the shock level would increase.
- In reality, the learner was not receiving any shocks but was pretending to do so (reacting with screams, expressions of pain, etc.). The teacher believed they were actually delivering these shocks.
- The shock machine started at a low level of 15 volts and could go up to 450 volts. As the voltage increased, labels such as “slight shock,” “moderate shock,” and “extreme danger” were shown on the machine.
Obedience to Authority
Despite the learner showing signs of pain, most participants continued to administer shocks when instructed to do so by the experimenter wearing a lab coat. Many participants proceeded to administer shocks even at points where they believed the learner was experiencing severe pain.
Milgram established that when a participant hesitated to administer the shock, the experimenter would use these four prompts in sequence:
- Please continue.
- The experiment requires you to continue.
- It is essential for the experiment.
- You have no other choice; you must go on.
Results of the Experiment
The results were quite surprising:
- 65% of participants went all the way to the maximum shock level of 450 volts, even when the learner screamed and acted as if they were in pain.
- None of the participants stopped at the initial “slight” levels; almost all of them proceeded to at least the moderate shock levels.
Interpretation of the Experiment
Milgram’s findings showed that people can be highly obedient to authority figures, and this obedience has the potential to surpass ethical and moral boundaries. The experiment highlighted the power of authority and how individuals tend to comply with it.
Ethical Debates
The experiment has been the subject of significant ethical debate. Participants experienced emotional stress, and the psychological effects of the experiment raised concerns. Critics argued that the experiment did not adhere to today’s ethical standards because participants were not adequately informed, and their consent was not fully informed.
Impact of the Milgram Experiment
The Milgram Experiment had a profound impact on the field of social psychology and provided new insights into how obedience works. It also demonstrated how individuals could evade moral responsibility under the influence of authority.
Milgram’s study continues to inspire research on the topic of obedience to authority and remains a significant reference point for understanding the dynamics of authority and compliance across various contexts.
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