Influences On Obedience

Stanley Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, conducted a study focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. He examined justifications for acts of genocide offered by those accused at the World War II, Nuremberg War Criminal trials. Their defense often was based on "obedience" - - that they were just following orders of their superiors.

In the experiment, so-called "teachers" (who were actually the unknowing subjects of the experiment) were recruited by Milgram. They were asked administer an electric shock of increasing intensity to a "learner" for each mistake he made during the experiment. The fictitious story given to these "teachers" was that the experiment was exploring effects of punishment (for incorrect responses) on learning behavior. The "teacher" was not aware that the "learner" in the study was actually an actor - - merely indicating discomfort as the "teacher" increased the electric shocks.

When the "teacher" asked whether increased shocks should be given he/she was verbally encouraged to continue.

Sixty percent of the "teachers" obeyed orders to punish the learner to the very end of the 450-volt scale! No subject stopped before reaching 300 volts!

Milgram concluded that the situational factors in his experiment were too powerful for most individuals to overcome. In subsequent experiments he varied several factors in the situation to learn their importance in obedience to authority.

1. Subject-Victim Distance
Subjects(Teachers) were more likely to obey if their victims were physically distant. Obedience dropped(subjects increased their tency to disobey by ceasing to deliver shocks) as victims were brought closer to them. Obedience was lowest in a condition where subjects had to make physical contact with victims in order to shock them.

One conclusion of this is that obedience and aggression are easier when they are impersonal. When one's victim is distant or "not human", it is much easier to rationalize harming him or her.

2. Subject-Authority Distance
Subjects were more likely to obey if the authority figure (the experiementer) was physically near. Obedience dropped when the authority figure left the room or the building. Obedience was lowest when the authority figure had never been personally met, but only delivered orders by tape recording.

3. Nature of Authority
Subjects were obedient only when they considered the authority figure respectable and legitimate. When the experiment was conducted in a non-university location, the obedience level was lower. When intruders "illegitimately" took over the experiment and gave orders, subjects refused to obey them. For orders to be obeyed, one's authority must be perceived to be legitimate and credible.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

If each grain of sand were to say:
One grain does not make a mountain,
There would be no land.

If each drop of water were to say:
One drop does not make an ocean,
There would be no sea.

If each note of music were to say:
Each note does not make a symphony,
There would be no melody.

If each word were to say:
One word does not make a library,
There would be no book.

If each brick were to say:
One brick does not make a wall,
There would be no house.

If each seed were to say:
One seed does not make a field,
There would be no harvest.

If each of us were to say:
One person does not make the difference,
There would never be love and peace on earth.

You and I do make the difference,
Begin today and make the difference.