Obedience Essay

One of the most prominent studies of obedience in the study of psychology was performed by Stanley Milgram. The intent of this study was to research how far individuals would go in obeying a command while it involved hurting someone. Milgram’s curiosity to see how normal individuals could be influenced by enormity seems to be an influence for this study. My initial reaction to Milgram’s study video was pure disgust. In my opinion, he treated his participants like animals. Due to his own fascination, he did not care about the well being of his participants, but rather to fulfill his own thirst for knowledge. During the video, a man pleads to let him out and the responded says, â€Å"Go on, I will not be responsible for it†. A few seconds later he yells and continues to ask to let him out. The presence of the administrator affect obedience because of his authoritative role, and continues to reassure the subjects that the volts were not harming them. It is anticipat ed that individuals are to follow directions accustomed by an administrator. For instance, authority affects obedience in our everyday lives. When we attend school, there are different layers of authority. You have your teachers, security services, a vice principal and a head principal. It is important to show respect, listen and engage what is being ask of you because there is a higher level of authority. In my opinion, when individuals do things against their personal ethics when an authority asks can have many different reasons. This study confirms that obedience can take precedence over moral code (Myers, 2012). Obedience to authority is implemented in our brains at a very young age. As children it is integrated to follow authority, whether it be a parent, teacher, boss etc. Normative influences can also be a result. References Myers, D. G. (2012). Exploring social psychology (6th ed.). Boston, MA:McGraw-Hill. retrieved from:http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073531871/student_view0/module14/video.html