Obedience to Obedience to AuthorityAuthority

What Makes People Obey What Makes People Obey Authority?Authority?

Why do you do what I tell you to do?Why do you do what I tell you to do? Who else do you obey?Who else do you obey? Why?Why?

Nazi GermanyNazi Germany

Stanley Milgram - Stanley Milgram - BackgroundBackground

Parents were Jews in WW2

Wanted to test the “Germans are Different Hypothesis”

Do the Germans have a basic character defect, which causes them to obey authority?

Milgram’s StudyMilgram’s Study

A laboratory experiment which A laboratory experiment which took place at Yale Universitytook place at Yale University

Milgram’s ExperimentMilgram’s Experiment

3 PEOPLE :3 PEOPLE : THE EXPERIMENTERTHE EXPERIMENTER

LAB COAT AS A SYMBOL OF LAB COAT AS A SYMBOL OF AUTHORITYAUTHORITY

TEACHERTEACHER

NAÏVE PARTICIPANTNAÏVE PARTICIPANT LEARNERLEARNER

CONFEDERATECONFEDERATE

PARTICIPANTSPARTICIPANTS

RECRUITED VIA NEWSPAPER RECRUITED VIA NEWSPAPER ADVERTISMENTADVERTISMENT

INFORMED STUDY WAS ABOUT INFORMED STUDY WAS ABOUT MEMORY AND LEARNING AND EFFECTS MEMORY AND LEARNING AND EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT ON LEARNINGOF PUNISHMENT ON LEARNING

EXPENSES AND A FEE PAIDEXPENSES AND A FEE PAID 40 MALES40 MALES WIDE VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDSWIDE VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS

EXPERIMENTEREXPERIMENTER

31 yr old BIOLOGY TEACHER31 yr old BIOLOGY TEACHER

IMPASSIVE MANNERIMPASSIVE MANNER

STERNSTERN

WEARS A LAB COATWEARS A LAB COAT

CONFEDERATECONFEDERATE

47 yr old ACCOUNTANT47 yr old ACCOUNTANT

IRISH-AMERICANIRISH-AMERICAN

MILD-MANNERED AND LIKEABLEMILD-MANNERED AND LIKEABLE

PROCEDUREPROCEDURE

SLIPS OF PAPER TAKEN FROM HAT TO SLIPS OF PAPER TAKEN FROM HAT TO DETERMINE WHO WOULD BE TEACHERDETERMINE WHO WOULD BE TEACHER

BOTH SLIPS “TEACHER”BOTH SLIPS “TEACHER” LEARNER STRAPPED INTO ‘ELECTRIC LEARNER STRAPPED INTO ‘ELECTRIC

CHAIR’ IN A DIFFERENT ROOMCHAIR’ IN A DIFFERENT ROOM TEACHER GIVEN ‘SAMPLE SHOCK’ (45v)TEACHER GIVEN ‘SAMPLE SHOCK’ (45v) TEACHER TOLD THAT AT EVERY MISTAKE TEACHER TOLD THAT AT EVERY MISTAKE

VOLTAGE MUST BE INCREASEDVOLTAGE MUST BE INCREASED

PROCEDURE continued…PROCEDURE continued…

If participants asked about the shocks:If participants asked about the shocks: ““Although the shocks may be painful, Although the shocks may be painful,

there is no permanent tissue damage”there is no permanent tissue damage” Teacher reads out pairs of wordsTeacher reads out pairs of words Learner must respond to stimulus Learner must respond to stimulus

correctly to avoid punishment.correctly to avoid punishment. Learner deliberately gets them wrongLearner deliberately gets them wrong Teacher administers shock with each Teacher administers shock with each

wrong responsewrong response

PROCEDURE continued…PROCEDURE continued… Learner was heard to be distressed and in Learner was heard to be distressed and in

pain.pain. If teacher hesitated the experimenter used If teacher hesitated the experimenter used

the following ‘prods’:the following ‘prods’: ““Please continue”Please continue” ““The experiment requires that you The experiment requires that you

continue”continue” ““It’s absolutely essential that you It’s absolutely essential that you

continue”continue” ““You have no other choice, you must You have no other choice, you must

go on”go on”

SHOCKSSHOCKS

Each wrong answer resulted in an Each wrong answer resulted in an increase in shocks.increase in shocks.

Started at 15v (Mild Shock) and went Started at 15v (Mild Shock) and went up to 450v (Severe and Dangerous up to 450v (Severe and Dangerous Shock)Shock)

What percentage of the participants do What percentage of the participants do you think administered the highest you think administered the highest

shock of 450v?shock of 450v?

RESULTSRESULTS

100% of participants 100% of participants continued to 300v continued to 300v (Extremely intense shock)(Extremely intense shock)

65% of participants went 65% of participants went all the way up to 450vall the way up to 450v

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdb20gcc_Ns

Why did the participants Why did the participants obey?obey?

WHY DID THEY OBEY?WHY DID THEY OBEY?

YALE UNIVERSITY IS YALE UNIVERSITY IS PRESTIGIOUSPRESTIGIOUS

ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE – THOUGHT EXPERIMENT WAS – THOUGHT EXPERIMENT WAS FOR A WORTHY PURPOSEFOR A WORTHY PURPOSE

VOLUNTEER VICTIMVOLUNTEER VICTIM OBLIGATION TO EXPERIMENTEROBLIGATION TO EXPERIMENTER

WHY DID THEY OBEY?WHY DID THEY OBEY?

PAYMENTPAYMENT

COULD HAVE BEEN ME – COULD HAVE BEEN ME – THOUGHT ROLES OF LEARNER THOUGHT ROLES OF LEARNER AND TEACHER HAD BEEN AND TEACHER HAD BEEN ALLOCATED FAIRLYALLOCATED FAIRLY

WERE TOLD THE SHOCKS WERE WERE TOLD THE SHOCKS WERE PAINFUL BUT NOT DANGEROUSPAINFUL BUT NOT DANGEROUS

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

OrdinaryOrdinary people can follow orders people can follow orders given by an authority figure, even if given by an authority figure, even if it requires doing something it requires doing something inhumane.inhumane.

Obedience to authority is Obedience to authority is ingrainedingrained in all of us through how we are in all of us through how we are brought up.brought up.

CONCLUSION continuedCONCLUSION continued

Obedience is due to Obedience is due to situational situational factors factors – i.e. experimental settings, – i.e. experimental settings, rather than rather than dispositional factorsdispositional factors, , i.e. a deviant personalityi.e. a deviant personality