SOC 1305 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Stanley Milgram
Document Summary
They raise the possibility that human nature, or more specifically the kind of characters produced in american democratic society, cannot be counted on to insulate its citizens from brutality and inhumane treatment at the direction of malevolent authority. A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate autho(cid:396)it(cid:455). (cid:863) Why did people obey: our culture socializes individuals to obey authority figures such as police officers, teachers, parents, religious leaders, doctors, etc. The experimenter stated that he was, so the subjects thought the(cid:455) (cid:449)e(cid:396)e (cid:862)off the hook(cid:863: thi(cid:374)k of the holo(cid:272)aust a(cid:374)d a(cid:271)u gh(cid:396)ai(cid:271) (cid:894)(cid:862)just follo(cid:449)i(cid:374)g o(cid:396)de(cid:396)s(cid:863)(cid:895, humans have a well-documented need to act in a consistent manner. If participants had to push the 450 volt switch first, few would do it.
