Milgramstudy

Milgram Obedience Study

Attempting to understand humans and their mindset can be a great challenge when trying to comprehend their thought process in regards to harming others and things of that nature. Human-beings are extremely obedient to others who they feel are in a position of power or people who they gaze upon as role models. Putting fourth an immense amount of effort, Stanley Milgram was on a mission to discover how and why the individuals who participated in the Holocaust were able to mistreat and harm others without a second thought.

Stanley Milgram invented a device designed to shock an individual for answering a question incorrectly in order to better understand human obedience. This device was equipped with 30 switches that gradually increased from 15 volts to 450 volts. In order for the experiment to be successful, 40 males were paid to partake in shocking another individual who they didn’t know and had apparent heart problems. Not all were able to willingly harm another person by increasing the voltage of the shock for each incorrect answer. Some even stopped to consult with the test administrator and expressed their feelings towards harming or possibly killing the individual receiving the constant shocks, but when pressured by an authoritative figure, they continued to administer punishment after being reassured that they wouldn’t be liable for their actions if anything was to happen to the individual being shocked. About 65% of the individuals who participated in the experiment were able to administer 450 volts to an individual who could have possibly died due to his current heart condition because they were instructed to do so and they were obedient to the individual who was appointed over them. Maybe this is the same reason why the Holocaust took place. Hitler was obviously in a position of power and he possessed a large amount of obedient personnel who were willing to carry out his orders. Ultimately, this experiment speaks volumes in...