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I thought this would be an interesting topic in light of lockdowns and forced use of emergency medicine during the recent COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-current. There was a mixed response to authority in this situation even though some people were hurt and stigmatized and treated like outcasts... to speak about obedience, it is my opinion that people will always be inclined to be obedient to authority. What is more apparent is that when mainstream media and propaganda surrounding divides opinion, people will look to see which sides seems better off..in the case of the pandemic, which side offered more freedom from lockdown and travel and socialization. When critical stakeholders implement systemic mechanisms to cajole conformity and obedience, that is still unethical and against basic principles of informed consent.
Milgram's obedience experiment, conducted in 1963 by psychologist Stanley Milgram, remains one of the most famous and controversial studies in the history of social psychology. The study aimed to investigate the extent to which obedience to authority could override personal conscience and moral principles. I will critically evaluate Milgram's obedience experiment, including the design, methods, and results of the study, as well as the ethical issues raised by the study and its relevance today.
Design and Methods
Milgram's obedience experiment involved participants being told that they would be taking part in a study on memory and learning, and that they would be administering electric shocks to a "learner" each time the learner made a mistake. The experimenter, who was dressed in a lab coat and appeared to be an authority figure, instructed the participants to increase the shock level after each incorrect response. In reality, the learner was an actor who did not receive any electric shocks, but who pretended to be in pain and eventually stopped responding.
The experiment was designed to measure the extent to which participants would obey the experimenter and continue to administer shocks, even when they believed they were causing harm to the learner. The study consisted of 40 male participants, who were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: high-proximity (the experimenter was close to the participant), low-proximity (the experimenter was farther away), high-legitimacy (the experimenter was a respected authority figure), and low-legitimacy (the experimenter was a less respected authority figure).
Results
The results of Milgram's obedience experiment were striking. Despite the obvious distress of the learner, and despite the fact that many participants showed signs of distress themselves, 65% of participants continued to administer the highest level of shock (450 volts) when instructed to do so by the experimenter. Only a small minority of participants refused to continue the experiment and showed clear signs of disobedience.
Ethical Issues
Milgram's obedience experiment has been widely criticized for its unethical treatment of participants. The study involved deceptive practices and the use of psychological stress, which could have had long-term negative effects on participants' mental health. Furthermore, participants were not fully informed about the nature of the study or the potential risks involved, which violates basic principles of informed consent.
Additionally, the study raises questions about the use of human subjects in research. Milgram's experiment could be seen as an example of a larger trend in psychology research of using participants as mere objects of study, rather than as autonomous individuals with their own needs and interests. This can lead to a disregard for the well-being of participants, as well as a lack of respect for their dignity and autonomy.
Relevance Today
Despite its ethical shortcomings, Milgram's obedience experiment continues to be widely studied and discussed in psychology, sociology, and other social sciences. The study has been replicated and extended in various ways, and has been used to shed light on a wide range of topics, including obedience to authority, social influence, and conformity.
One of the key contributions of Milgram's study is its demonstration of the power of obedience to authority. The results of the study suggest that people are surprisingly willing to obey authority figures, even when they believe they are causing harm to others. This has important implications for understanding how social institutions can exert control over individuals and shape their behavior, as well as for understanding how ordinary people can become complicit in acts of evil and violence.
In recent years, Milgram's obedience experiment has been re-evaluated in light of contemporary ethical standards and has been subject to more rigorous critical scrutiny. For example, some researchers have questioned the generalizability of the findings. The generalizability of Milgram's obedience study refers to the extent to which the results of the study can be generalized or applied to other populations and settings. Some researchers have questioned the generalizability of Milgram's study, as it was conducted with a specific population (middle-class American males) and in a highly controlled laboratory setting. This has led to concerns about whether the results of the study can be accurately applied to other populations and real-world situations.
For example, it has been suggested that the results of Milgram's study may not be applicable to other cultures or populations that have different attitudes towards obedience and authority. Additionally, some researchers have pointed out that the laboratory setting of the study may have influenced participants' behavior and that real-world obedience to authority may not be as extreme as the results of Milgram's study suggest.
These limitations of the generalizability of Milgram's study highlight the need for caution when interpreting and applying the results of psychological research. It is important to consider the context and limitations of a study when evaluating its results and to be aware of the limitations of generalizing findings to other populations and settings.
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