Why Do People Obey Authority Order

Obeying an Authority Figure Isn’t Always the Best Decision
Why do individuals follow an authority figures’ instructions if it meant possibly harming another person? This situation was tested in the Milgram experiment to get a better understanding of why the Nazi’s followed orders that resulted in killing thousands of Germans during the Holocaust. In most cases, people would not harm another individual, but it’s an authority figure who is giving the commands so it is hard to say “no”. People obey authority in unfamiliar circumstances when others could be harmed because they think the authority figure is legitimate, morally right and that the authority figure will take responsibility. Though it is a norm to follow authority figures orders, it …show more content…
Did the people during the Holocaust kill people for some of the same reasons that the teachers shocked participants in the Milgram Experiment? I would disagree that the two are similar circumstances. During the Holocaust, the Nazi’s followed their commanders orders because they didn’t know any better. But the relationship of the Milgram experiment and the Holocaust vary in a number of important ways. First, the Milgram experiment lasted for an hour or so and the Holocaust last for many years. Second, the men in the Milgram experiment didn’t know each other and were paid for participating in the experiment and the German people who killed the Jews in the Holocaust felt they were superior to the Jewish people. Finally, the people in the Milgram experiment were told that the learner would have no permanent effects from the shocks and the Germans were well aware that they were killing the Jews. In fact, Germans would have the opportunity for years to come to live with the fact that they had killed another human being. This is much different than the Milgram Experiment where it was clear that the participants would not be harmed in any