Perils of obedience. Stanley Milgram — The Perils of Obedience 2022-11-05
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Obedience is a trait that is highly valued in many societies. It is often seen as a virtue that is essential for the functioning of social groups, as it allows individuals to follow rules and orders that contribute to the greater good. However, obedience can also have negative consequences, particularly when it leads individuals to blindly follow authority without questioning its actions or decisions.
One of the most famous examples of the perils of obedience is the Stanford prison experiment, conducted by psychologist Philip Zimbardo in 1971. In this experiment, college students were randomly assigned roles as guards or prisoners in a simulated prison environment. Despite the fact that the experiment was supposed to last two weeks, it had to be terminated after just six days due to the disturbing behavior of the guards and the psychological distress of the prisoners. The guards became abusive and sadistic, and the prisoners became submissive and anxious. This experiment demonstrated the dangers of blindly following authority, as the guards felt that their actions were justified because they were following orders from their superiors.
Another example of the perils of obedience can be seen in the actions of soldiers in various wars throughout history. In many cases, soldiers have been ordered to carry out atrocities that go against their moral principles, and have been punished for disobeying orders. For example, during the Holocaust, many soldiers were ordered to kill innocent civilians and were punished if they refused. While obedience may have been seen as a virtue at the time, it ultimately led to the suffering and death of countless innocent people.
Obedience can also have negative consequences in more everyday situations. For example, in some workplaces, employees may feel pressure to blindly follow orders from their superiors, even if they disagree with them or feel that they are unethical. This can lead to a toxic work environment and can contribute to a culture of fear and suppression.
In conclusion, while obedience can be a valuable trait in some situations, it is important to carefully consider the consequences of blindly following authority. It is essential to maintain one's own moral principles and to be willing to question authority when necessary. Obedience can have serious negative consequences, particularly when it leads individuals to act against their own values or to harm others.
"The Perils of Obedience" Book by Stanley Milgram
He seems to derive no pleasure from the act itself, only quiet satisfaction at doing his job properly. The ethical problems of carrying out an experiment of this sort are too complex to be dealt with here, but they receive extended treatment in the book from which this article is taken. In his intriguing article, The Perils of Obedience, Stanley Milgram carries out experiments that portray effects of obedience in the society. Morality does not disappear -- it acquires a radically different focus: the subordinate person feels shame or pride depending on how adequately he has performed the actions called for by authority. People find it normal to follow the norms set by the government and do not participate in the discussions of why such cases of discrimination take place.
David did not account for the immense pressure that the German public felt from Hitler during World War II. Obedience to authority is a fundamental element in the structure of society. For Milgram, the measure of obedience was determined by the highest level of shock the subjects were willing to administer on the learners. . Indeed, we should expect the experimenter's authority to be much less than that of someone like a general, since the experimenter has no power to enforce his imperatives, and since participation in a psychological experiment scarcely evokes the sense of urgency and dedication found in warfare. The learners answers were mostly wrong this was done on purpose , and the teacher delivered an increasing electric shock for each wrong answer. The results of the experiments have important implications for our understanding of obedience and authority.
Ap Psychology Quiz 424 Words 2 Pages What does the study add to our understanding of the phenomenon? At the administration of 210 volts she turns to the experimenter, remarking firmly, "Well, I'm sorry, I don't think we should continue. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation. The approach maintained in the study is quite scientific. . Moral rules are defined in the book as things along the lines of people should not drink in excess or children should come before self pg. Experimenter: It is absolutely essential that we continue.
Individuals inflict pain to members of the society or act in ways that derail developments because of laws or as an option of pleasing their masters. Fromm argues that the society has always viewed disobedience as a vice that contradicts laws and authority. Milgram wanted to investigate whether Germans were obedient to their superiors as that was the common explanation for assassinations in the Nazi in World War II. It should be remembered that the aforementioned forms of sovereignty by the institution or acquisition are treated as legitimate. It is almost impossible to convey the greatly relaxed, sedate quality of his conversation in the interview. Kohlberg's Ethical Dilemmas 1289 Words 6 Pages Introduction Every day we as citizens of this country make decisions either consciously or unconsciously on how we go about our daily lives. Because of this, that individual thinks that he or she does not possess any responsibility for whatever consequences that her or his actions may bring Milgram 6.
Gestures toward the room with the electric chair. The learner is conducted into a room, seated in a kind of miniature electric chair, his arms are strapped to prevent excessive movement, and an electrode is attached to his wrist. Get your paper price 124 experts online 2 What is the dilemma inherent in obedience to authority? The ethical problems of carrying out an experiment of this sort are too complex to be dealt with here, but they receive extended treatment in the book from which this article is taken. Moreover, when the experiments were repeated in Princeton, Munich, Rome, South Africa, and Australia, the level of obedience was invariably somewhat higher than found in the investigation reported in this article. The Perils of Obedience is a 1974 article written by Stanley Milgram. His very refined and authoritative manner of speaking is increasingly broken up by wheezing laughter.
The learner, seated alongside him, begs him to stop, but with robotic impassivity he continues the procedure. He was hollering at less voltage. The learner gave his answer by pressing a button. Most of the time, people do not notice the whole situation. He shows appreciation for the help and willingness to do what is required.
This experiment showed that the majority of people would shock the learner all the way into the danger zone, which was marked on their board with XXX representing 450 volts. The Perils Of Obedience Stanley Milgram Analysis 971 Words 4 Pages This suggests that the more a person enters into an agentic state, the less responsibility they feel for the situation. Generally, there is no freedom of expression here, and people have to live in fear. The experimenter could often induce a disobedient subject to go on by returning to the laboratory. Many obedient subjects then heaved sighs of relief, mopped their brows, rubbed their fingers over their eyes, or nervously fumbled cigarettes.
Let me out of here! However, he believes that submission to authority is a peril that derails the society towards humanity. He is also trying to show how blind obedience can lead people to do some inhumane incomprehensible deeds. According to Titles: Regardless of the nature of titles, or whether they are authentic or not, titles make a person appear more competent and more authoritative. What would you do if you were the teacher? When people are instructed, they have capacities to do evil and blind obedience sometimes leads to disasters. In his study, Milgram deceived his subject volunteers into believing that the experiment they were submitting themselves to involved learning about the effects of punishment on learning. Still, the echoes of discrimination and inequality can be observed. Milgram 579-581 One man in the experiment expressed his emotions through uncontrollable laughter.
