Perils of Human Obediance

From the time we are born the ideals of obedience is taught and instilled in us all. Authoritarian figures are established and rules, guidelines, and codes of ethics are instituted. Each person chooses how strictly to follow these terms by his or her own accord, knowing that they will suffer the repercussions and consequences for disobedience. Whether it is a parent spanking a child or an adult being fired from a job there is always a certain disciplinary actions for not following orders. Everybody is expected to obey authority at all costs, but what happens when following orders means defying ones own morals?

In 1963 Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram set up and conducted an experiment to test this very question’s limits. It was designed to “Force participants to either violate their conscience by obeying the immoral demands of an authority figure or refuse those demands”(Milgram 343). In it a “teacher”(Milgram 345) subject and a “learner”(Milgram 345) subject are used. The teacher is a clueless volunteer but the learner is a pre-informed actor. Learner subjects are strapped in a chair and to a fake electric shock generator. The teacher is instructed to teach word pair questions to the learner and administer an electric shoc

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Depriving all that have benefited from the findings of what could even be taken as far as their freedom. It brings up the definite human conflict of personal-morals versus following orders from a higher authority. But it is unequivocally apparent that Stanley Milgram’s experimentation, testing, and reviewing of the perils of human obedience is truly a remarkable undertaking and worthy of praise and reward for the information and findings it reveals for use to psychologists everywhere.

Allthough it is a fight that is morally justified by people such as Dr. “Because of the anxiety and passivity generated by the setting, the subject is more prone to behave in an obedient, suggestible manner in the laboratory than elsewhere”(Baumrind 357). Milgram’s experiment was repeated in different locations with different subjects, but the end result was still the same.

This shocking behavior is a demonstration of human nature being prone to follow orders at all cost, just as we were taught as youths.

Obey at all costs

. This study laid the foundation for great advancements in criminal law, and changed the face of judicial rulings everywhere. Milgram as cruel or inhumane, instead of looking at them for what they truly are which is groundbreaking. Milgram’s testing provides groundbreaking and innovative information on the human psyche and is a breakthrough in the Human and Behavioral Sciences. Showing that maybe when a person is put in a situation to cause harm to another without responsibility for their actions that there is not limit to the extents they will go to follow orders, with Milgram himself suggesting that “Relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority. With the critics being as vast as the advocates opinions can be lobbied and swayed. The results were unexpected and shocking to even Milgram himself.

Without these findings on the behalf of Dr.

Approximate Word count = 892
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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