In five years looking back on my psychology class I will most likely remember the Milgram Experiment and the concept of listening to people who you think are superior to you. It's really interesting that just because a person in a white coat tells you you need to shock someone that you will most likely obey. I feel it really speaks to how people try to avoid confrontation. People will put other peoples safety on the back burner just because their superior tells them they need to do something. People don't like to disturb the water and will do anything that will get them to slide under the radar and not get in trouble. It also shows that people are in it for themselves. They don't mind if someone else gets hurt as long as it leads to self preservation. This, in my mind, shows the inner selfishness of most humans. It almost seems to add a pessimistic view on my outlook on life. Other people will hurt you to get a head.
Milgram Experiment
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It was disturbing to see how most people followed orders from someone just because he was wearing a white lab coat. People went ahead and induced shocks that could have killed/caused permanent damage to someone just because an unidentified guy in profession gear said so. Also what's disturbing that many of us think that we wouldn't have obeyed orders if we were put in the situation however replicated studies show otherwise.
I also found that experiment quite disturbing, just like Rjax011. It kind of explains why we, to an extent, slightly revere doctors and policemen. Sure, not everyone listens to them or gives them respect, but I know that for me, I get extremely nervous and immediately obey a policeman, even if he isn't approaching me for breaking rules or whatnot.
Actually, this experiment reminds me a historical figure in Chinese history. He obeyed empire's order and finally lost his life. People feel stressed when they either obey an unreasonable order or disobey an authority figure. They will choose the one they feel less stressed. It seems disobey authority's figure is more stressful.
It is shocking how people lose their practical morals when an authority figure insists you do an immoral action. If think about it though, people suffer from peer pressure as well so it isn't that strange, it's just depressing.
The Milgram experiment is extremely fascinating to me also. I remember talking about in high school and tried to put myself in the footsteps of these people. Authority is a driving force in our lives. We are taught to obey it as a child and throughout our lives. As a society, I believe it is very import to keep balance the influence power has on us. While it is good to have authority and leadership, every person should have free will in decision making and freedom in the actions they take.
The results of the Milgram experiment scared me. To think people would harm and potentially kill other people just because an authority figure told them to...that worries me. I can see what you mean about the pessimistic point of view.
I definitely was intrigued by the Milgram experiment and will remember it for quite a while. This is something that is common in the workplace, but on a minor scale. I see that people will do things their superior ( the boss ) tells them. The majority of people will listen to their boss over a co-worker because the co-worker has no influence on the success of the person in the company. The boss is the person to listen to because they can directly impact your pay/promotions.
I am also going to hold onto this information throughout my life because it is important to ask ourselves why are we doing what we are doing. I think that we can use the results of this experiment to explain why some people act as they do and maybe to explain the natural phenomenon of obedience. But we shouldn't be discouraged from doing the right thing, I think though that we should be encouraged to ask ourselves why we do what we do and whether we want other people to treat us that way. The knowledge taken from this experiment and from other psychologists, like Freud's defense mechanisms, helps me see how important love and compassion are to justice.
I know I was so surprised that so many kept going! I feel like if I was in that situation, I would not! but I guess I don't really know for sure. In (somewhat) similar situations people will usually listen to authorities, even though it may be wrong, because that is what we are taught. One day on the news there was a story about a kid stealing from a store because his mother told him too. It's interesting to see how highly authority plays into our lives and behaviors.
I too was inspired by this piece of research. It was quite interesting and gave me motivation to break the rules so to speak. I've never been one to shy away, but this and the decreased fear of being wrong could do a lot of good in our world.
This is a good experiment, and I feel like I may do this sometimes too. Just because a person has a "higher rank" than you doesn't mean they are always right and we need to do what they say. We know ourselves what is right and what is wrong. We should be able to stand up for ourselves when we believe something to be wrong.
I agree with you that this is one of the concepts in psychology that I will remember most. There's a quote that says those who don't know history will repeat it--I think this quote can be used in many other regards. If people don't know about the power of authority there will be many more instances of genocide (like there was with Hitler in WW2).
Yeah I was shocked to see how many people listened and obeyed the directions. Every time I look at this experiment I would hope that I wouldn't cooperate but I don't know. You made a good point with people trying to avoid confrontation because many don't like to be in stressful situations.