Many controversial studies and experiments were conducted in the twentieth century, but the most striking and well-known for the general public was the Milgram obedience experiment. An American psychologist wondered how far an ordinary person is willing to go, obeying someone else’s will. The idea came to Stanley as a result of free reflection – Milgram realized that subordination is one of the factors linking power and people. Hence, it is vital to summarize the experiment and identify its role in forming social psychology.
The experiment was conducted based on Yale University with approximately 1,000 individuals participating. The initial idea was straightforward: a person was made to perform such deeds that would increasingly diverge from their conscience. Accordingly, the major question of the research was the following: how far is the subject willing to go until submission to the experimenter becomes unacceptable to him? (Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk). One participant should memorize word pairs from a long list, and the other should check if “the student” can reproduce them. If the students are mistakes, they are punished with electric discharge. In one series of experiments, 26 out of 40 subjects, continued to increase the voltage until the psychologist ordered them to stop.
Milgram’s experiment may be the last psychological experiment that has had a significant impact on psychology and public opinion. More than 30 years have passed, but he still arouses interest and makes a great impression on those who get to know him for the first time. Milgram’s talent as an experimenter was that he could create an appropriate scientific approach to the study of such a complex topic as social behavior. In the laboratory, he forced one person to harm another, but no harm was done.
Reference
Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk. (2016). The Milgram experiment 1962 full documentary [Video]. YouTube. Web.