Perplexed by the idea of how humans can brutalize others by torture, acts of humility, killing and genocide prompted Stanley Milgram, a psychologist from Yale University, to perform a study known as The Milgram Experiment in 1963. The Milgram Experiment has been deemed one of the most famous studies in psychology and is still referred to this day to answer other questions that arise involving a number of problems.
Hitler’s demands of German police and soldiers to kill innocent Jews spurred Milgram to see how far people would go to hurt someone else when given an order. Thus, the Milgram Experiment began. To find participants Milgram posted a newspaper advertisement. He hired males who ranged from 20-50 in age. Milgram looked for men who …show more content…
Milgram found that people are obedient in orders to harm others when personal responsibility is shifted from them to authority, known as the agentic shift, and when it is done for the greater good of humanity (Miller, 2014). Hitler used the Fuhrer Principle, where he commanded total obedience to him (Miller, 2014). He made himself the authoritative figure and had German police and soldiers kill Jews. He felt that exterminating them would be good for the human race. By Hitler giving the orders, it took moral responsibility from the soldiers. I am sure some soldiers were like the participants in Milgram’s study, they were faced with the question do we harm or do we obey? I theorize blind obedience to the wrong authority can be harmful. History saw this with Hitler. Milgram saw harmful behavior from his participant’s after given BF prods. I do not believe Milgram’s participants acted with blind obedience though. Blind obedience to the correct authority is good. I feel people should act with blind obedience and follow the law set forth in the constitution and most importantly God’s law set in the Ten Commandments. I feel people do not act with blind obedience towards legitimate authority out of selfishness and concern for themselves. “Nevertheless, many of Milgram’s findings, as well as historical examples, suggest that people maintain their own values and motivations even in the face of …show more content…
Each individual should be responsible and held accountable for their actions. Card believes, “Both individuals and organizations bear moral responsibility for actions performed within organizational contexts, and the degree of responsibility is to be determined on a case by case basis” (Miller, 2014, p. 563). Each person has a brain and a heart. If the behavior calls for immoral and unethical behavior from an authority figure, then people need to stand up and say it is wrong, I will not take part in it. Rochat and Modigliani (1995) state, “Milgram’s disobedient participants who did not follow direct orders use three moral dictates, (1) one should not impose one’s will on another; (2) one is responsible for what one does to another; and (3) one is always free to choose not to obey harmful demands” (Einwohner, 2014, p. 534). Society should have an interest in obedience to legitimate authority and should abide by it. Society has to continue to live in this world created for them. If they do not abide to obedience, chaos is created, things will not run smoothly and people will not live peaceful lives. “As Milgram showed, obedience can have a dark side, but perhaps this has been overstated. The positive aspects of obedience make it an indispensable aspect of human culture” (Ent & Baumeister, 2014 p.
Hitler’s demands of German police and soldiers to kill innocent Jews spurred Milgram to see how far people would go to hurt someone else when given an order. Thus, the Milgram Experiment began. To find participants Milgram posted a newspaper advertisement. He hired males who ranged from 20-50 in age. Milgram looked for men who …show more content…
Milgram found that people are obedient in orders to harm others when personal responsibility is shifted from them to authority, known as the agentic shift, and when it is done for the greater good of humanity (Miller, 2014). Hitler used the Fuhrer Principle, where he commanded total obedience to him (Miller, 2014). He made himself the authoritative figure and had German police and soldiers kill Jews. He felt that exterminating them would be good for the human race. By Hitler giving the orders, it took moral responsibility from the soldiers. I am sure some soldiers were like the participants in Milgram’s study, they were faced with the question do we harm or do we obey? I theorize blind obedience to the wrong authority can be harmful. History saw this with Hitler. Milgram saw harmful behavior from his participant’s after given BF prods. I do not believe Milgram’s participants acted with blind obedience though. Blind obedience to the correct authority is good. I feel people should act with blind obedience and follow the law set forth in the constitution and most importantly God’s law set in the Ten Commandments. I feel people do not act with blind obedience towards legitimate authority out of selfishness and concern for themselves. “Nevertheless, many of Milgram’s findings, as well as historical examples, suggest that people maintain their own values and motivations even in the face of …show more content…
Each individual should be responsible and held accountable for their actions. Card believes, “Both individuals and organizations bear moral responsibility for actions performed within organizational contexts, and the degree of responsibility is to be determined on a case by case basis” (Miller, 2014, p. 563). Each person has a brain and a heart. If the behavior calls for immoral and unethical behavior from an authority figure, then people need to stand up and say it is wrong, I will not take part in it. Rochat and Modigliani (1995) state, “Milgram’s disobedient participants who did not follow direct orders use three moral dictates, (1) one should not impose one’s will on another; (2) one is responsible for what one does to another; and (3) one is always free to choose not to obey harmful demands” (Einwohner, 2014, p. 534). Society should have an interest in obedience to legitimate authority and should abide by it. Society has to continue to live in this world created for them. If they do not abide to obedience, chaos is created, things will not run smoothly and people will not live peaceful lives. “As Milgram showed, obedience can have a dark side, but perhaps this has been overstated. The positive aspects of obedience make it an indispensable aspect of human culture” (Ent & Baumeister, 2014 p.