Analysis Of Milgram's Situational Obedience

Milgram's goal was to establish reason behind peoples adherence to authority figures in regards to violent or oppressive acts. His method was to mislead his subjects into believing that they were administering electric shocks to other participants in the experiment who had failed specific tasks. The receivers of the supposed shocks were in fact confederates who acted out the deception as planned. The results of the experiment proved that the subjects would continue, as far as they were aware, to abuse the recipient given enough encouragement. The psychological experiment was proof that people are capable of committing atrocious and abusive acts against one another, when on the receiving end of orders by authorities. Situational obedience implies

These included; trembling, stuttering, excessive perspiration and obvious emotional disturbances. Milgram noted the common trait of nervous laughter which in some cases developed into seizures. His claim was that the research potential of such reactions may prove insightful towards future behavioural experiments. The research he conducted to establish obedience however, was based on his theory that obedience is a psychological mechanism of the individual in a society. That is how a society is run as it ties predisposed citizens to authorities controls through

Stanley Milgram therefore based his research on his own ethical principles as a scientist to achieve results. This is no longer a plausible way to conduct research, acceptably, experiments should now be evaluated by ethicality and reviewed by other researchers alike. Analysis of the general public and scientific interest should be measured against the potential expenses that would result - for example; mental strain, the breach of privacy and so forth. Milgram took liberties with his deceptive instructions and with the ways in which he recruited his subjects in the first place. He advertised for an experiment on learning by Yale University while he was actually conducting his own research on