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World War II had an incredible psychological impact on the world in addition to the vast physical consequences. Not only was the planet in shock that such a terrible thing actually happened, but very few people understood how it was possible for the Nazis to do the horrible things they did without feeling remorse for the lives they stole. Were they simply heartless killers? Why did the soldiers all hate the Jews and other minorities persecuted? This seemed to be the truth, until a select few scientists took a closer look at the possible psychological aspects behind the cold blooded actions of the soldiers. One of these scientists, who experimented with obedience, was Stanley Milgram.
Stanley Milgram was born August 15, 1 in New York City to parents who had recently emigrated from Europe. Right from the start of he showed great potential in his schooling; he was talented in all subjects, not just one or two. He excelled in high school and went on to major in political science in New York. After that, he applied to the social relations department at Harvard, as accepted on probation, and was raised to the full student status after a year. He worked closely with Professor Gordon Allport on his dissertation, which was modeled after Solomon Asch’s studies on obedience. He obtained his PhD and then went to Yale as an assistant professor, where he began his controversial studies on blind obedience (The Man Who Shocked the World).
Milgram wanted to see just how far people would go to obey given directions. He constructed an elaborate experiment to test the strength of one’s own will power and values under the thumb of authority. The student came into the laboratory of his/her own free will to participate in Milgram’s study. They entered a room that only contained one other person, the experimenter, and a shock box that rested on a table. This participant was to be tested as the “teacher” and was told that there was another volunteer, “the learner,” in a room adjacent to their own who was connected to the shock box by wires. The teacher was then told to read a set of words and have the learner repeat them back. If the learner missed any words, the teacher was to press a button, which would shock the learner. If the learner was correct, the teacher was to do nothing. What the teacher didn’t know was that he/she was the one being tested�the learner in the other room was in fact just another worker who was not attached to any wires at all. The experimenter was playing the part of the authoritative figure and also observing the teacher’s behavior and reactions to it. Before starting the experiment, the teacher was given a 45 volt shock prove the “authenticity” of the experiment. Then the testing began.
At first, as one might guess, the learners mostly got the words right. When they were wrong, however, the teacher diligently delivered the shocks�for the most part, at least. The power of the shocks increased by 15 volts each time the answer was incorrect. As the experiment progressed, the learner emitted groans and pleas of release as the shocks grew more powerful. By this point, the teacher usually asked the experimenter if they should continue or stop. Some even worried about the well being of the so-called learner, becoming agitated as the sounds turned into screams of pain. The reactions at this time in the project varied greatly. One example is that of Gretchen Brandt, whose experience is recorded by Milgram as follows
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“On several occasions when the learner complains, she turns to the experimenter coolly and inquires, Shall I continue? She promptly returns to her task when the experimenter asks her to do so. At the administration of 10 volts she turns to the experimenter, remarking firmly, Well, Im sorry, I dont think we should continue.
Experimenter The experiment requires that you go on until he has learned all the word pairs correctly
.Brandt He has a heart condition, Im sorry. He told you that before.
Experimenter The shocks may be painful but theyre not dangerous.
Brandt Well, Im sorry. I think when shocks continue like this they are dangerous. You ask him if he wants to get out. Its his free will.
Experimenter It is absolutely essential that we continue....
Brandt Id like you to ask him. We came here of our free will. If he wants to continue Ill go ahead. He told you he had a heart condition. Im sorry. I dont want to be responsible for anything happening to him. I wouldnt like it for me either.
Experimenter You have no other choice.
Brandt I think we are here on our own free will. I dont want to be responsible if anything happens to him. Please understand that.
She refuses to go further and the experiment is terminated.
The woman is firm and resolute throughout. She indicates in the interview that she was in no way tense or nervous, and this corresponds to her controlled appearance during the experiment. She feels that the last shock she administered to the learner was extremely painful and reiterates that she did not want to be responsible for any harm to him.
The womans straightforward, courteous behavior in the experiment, lack of tension, and total control of her own action seem to make disobedience a simple and rational deed. Her behavior is the very embodiment of what I envisioned would be true for almost all subjects. (The Perils of Obedience)”
Brandt was of the minority in this experiment, surprisingly�Milgram did not even anticipate this. She and some others did not give in to the mentor’s urging and stayed strong in her beliefs. Many others succumbed when the prompting was given. Some were told that the experimenter would take full responsibility for the health of the learner; others only needed to hear that they were to follow directions for the duration of the process. The vast majority of people, at least, felt guilt and worry when their learner just gave up screaming all together. But many continued on to deliver the almost fatal shock of 450 volts to their co-participants.
Milgram’s studies concluded that 65% of his participants obeyed their instructors and inflicted the maximum amount of pain on the learner and finished the experiment. When his findings were released, they “shocked the world.” Not only were people ashamed that such a thing as this blind obedience was not only possible, but quite common, but many were disturbed by the experiment itself. Milgram was under great scrutiny after this; many of his colleagues felt he had been unethical with his conduction of the process. Because of this, he ended up leaving his job at Yale and went to head the social psychology department at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He stayed with that position and continued with many other original studies until he died in 184 from a fifth heart attack (The Man Who Shocked the World).
Were his experiments unethical? Perhaps. That really depends on one’s point of view. But ethical or not, they certainly caused the world to rethink it’s perception of the Nazis and other organizations like them. That seems enough to make his studies successful enough for world fame for the rest of his days and beyond.
“The Man Who Shocked the World” http//www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/ptoarticle/pto-00001-00007.asp#
“Perils of Obedience” http//home.swbell.net/revscat/perilsOfObedience.htm
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