Do you do everything that you are told to do? Do you do everything that your boss asks of you? These are two similar questions, but probably with different answers. Why is it different if the order is given by someone representing authority? Let’s see why you end up saying yes to your boss.
Anthony reads the post:
Obedience to authority
was studied in a famous experiment conducted by Milgram. Participants were
invited to take part in research about memory but were kept in the dark from
the real intentions. The people present, in addition to the participants, were
the researcher and his accomplice. The accomplice had to answer questions, and
in case of error the participant had to give electric shocks with increasing
intensity, as the experimenter gave orders. What happened?
Be aware that no electric shock was administered. The accomplice had to fake the reaction so that the participant could believe that the shocks were true. The first shocks administered were of low intensity and the accomplice had minimal reactions, but as the experiment progressed the intensity increased. We know that the person who gave the order was the experimenter, but the hand that acted to produce the fake shock was that of the participant.
Be aware that no electric shock was administered. The accomplice had to fake the reaction so that the participant could believe that the shocks were true. The first shocks administered were of low intensity and the accomplice had minimal reactions, but as the experiment progressed the intensity increased. We know that the person who gave the order was the experimenter, but the hand that acted to produce the fake shock was that of the participant.
The
false reactions of the accomplice became more and more dramatic, consistent
with ever greater shocks. Some participants, while strongly objecting,
continued to follow orders to administer the shocks. A few of the participants continued
to the end to administer the final shock (the potentially most dangerous one),
despite the accomplices begging for the experiment to stop. The experiment was
carried out under different conditions, but there was always a percentage of
participants who continued to obey until the end.
How do you explain this? In the last post, I talked about responsibility and the difficulty of assuming responsibility when there are other people around us. In this case, there is a responsibility shift: "It was not my fault, but the authority who gave me the order!". If this behaviour is so powerful, can you order a man to kill ten, a hundred, a thousand people without feeling the weight of responsibility?
What is your relationship with authority? Have you ever behaved in a way you didn’t want to just because you were asked by a superior? How did you feel? Responsible?
How do you explain this? In the last post, I talked about responsibility and the difficulty of assuming responsibility when there are other people around us. In this case, there is a responsibility shift: "It was not my fault, but the authority who gave me the order!". If this behaviour is so powerful, can you order a man to kill ten, a hundred, a thousand people without feeling the weight of responsibility?
What is your relationship with authority? Have you ever behaved in a way you didn’t want to just because you were asked by a superior? How did you feel? Responsible?
If you want me to describe in my own words a topic of psychology, please request it in the comment section.
Cited sources: Milgram's Experiment.
Cited sources: Milgram's Experiment.
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