Milgram’s Experiment

The Purpose of the Experiment Prompted by Milgram’s interest in Eichmann and the Nazi’s obedience to Hitler in the Holocaust. This experiment proved that under certain conditions obedience can be obtained when a respectable person demands violent behavior. This experiment was conducted to test the obedience of the participants to an authority figure who gave them orders conflicting with their own moral beliefs. This experiment proved the theories of groupthink, the Bystander effect, and deindividuation.

Applicable Psychology Terms Groupthink: To maintain order and peace within a group, the group may make a bad decision. Moral judgment diminishes from the pressures of the group as a whole The Bystander Effect: Tendency to expect another person to intervene and help someone in danger while in a large group of onlookers. Deindividuation: People may do something they wouldn’t normally do because others are doing it. A person is less likely to think for themselves, instead they engage in the common conduct of those around them.

The Procedure The experimenter (E) orders the teacher (T), the subject of the experiment, to give what the subject believes to be an electric shock to a learner (L) who is really an actor/confederate. The learner was asked questions, and for each wrong answer, the teacher was to give what he believed to be an electric shock, while there were actually no shocks and the actors gave a faux scream of pain. A pre-recorded reel of complaints from the learner was played before each shock, and as the teacher was instructed to increase the voltage with each shock, the complaints became more intense. The experimenter continuously urged the teacher to continue, as a test of the teacher’s obedience.

History of Obedience and Violence from WWII And Native American Genocide

World War II WWII is a great example of obedience and violence Obedience can be seen in the strong conformity and following of the Nazi soldiers to Hitler. Extreme cases of violence can be seen in the treatment of Jewish people, gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled. An example of this cruel punishment are the concentration camps where thousands of people were systematically killed in order to preserve the “purity” and increase the power of Germany.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazis

Obedient behavior Hitler kept obedience in many different ways Those who did not comply, were killed on the spot Concentration Camps Took away their rights Uniform look of the Nazi’s gave them an appearance of authority

Native American Genocide During the time of American expansion, many Native American tribes suffered from harsh treatment of the American government. An example of this is the Indian Removal Act implemented by Andrew Jackson which forced many tribes to move West. This movement westward led to the Trails of Tears where 25% of Native Americans died Another example is the Gold Rush where Americans continued to move West where the Native Americans had relocated causing violence and more death between the two groups.

Violent Behavior War Rape Murder Kitty Genovese

Violent crimes

Conclusion Milgram’s experiment, conducted to provide an explanation for violent historical events such as the Holocaust and the Native American Genocide, proved the theories of groupthink, the Bystander Effect, and deindividuation. These historical events were prompted by the obedience of subjects under the order of a respected authority figure.

Works Cited http://www.germannotes.com/hist_ww2.shtml http://www.deathreference.com/Engh/Genocide.html http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/trail-of-tears.htm http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html

Works Cited (cont.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20020301-000037.html http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=20020301-000037&page=3 http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/obedience.jpg&imgrefurl=http://simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/milgram.html&h=191&w=245&sz=7&hl=en&start=117&um=1&tbnid=reHXqX5qS0ROZM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMilgram%2BExperiment%26start%3D105%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN