Summary

"Obedience to Authority" by Stanley Milgram is a landmark study in social psychology that explores the extent to which individuals will obey orders from an authority figure, even when those orders conflict with their conscience. Milgram's experiments, conducted at Yale University in the 1960s, involved instructing participants to administer electric shocks to a 'learner' for incorrect answers, with the shock intensity increasing with each mistake. Unbeknownst to the participants, the learner was an actor who feigned pain and distress.

The book meticulously details the experimental setup, the variations Milgram introduced to test different factors influencing obedience, and the profound psychological effects on the participants. Milgram delves into the reasons behind the surprisingly high levels of obedience observed, discussing concepts such as the 'agentic state,' where individuals see themselves as instruments of authority rather than as autonomous actors responsible for their own actions. He examines binding factors that lock subjects into the situation, undermining their resolve to break with authority, and the cognitive adjustments that help subjects reduce the strain of acting against their conscience.

Furthermore, "Obedience to Authority" explores the roles of empathy, denial, and the diffusion of responsibility in facilitating obedience. Milgram analyzes the influence of situational variables, such as the proximity of the victim and the authority figure, and the institutional context in which the experiment takes place. He also considers the effects of group dynamics and contradictory commands from multiple authorities. Through transcripts of the experiments and post-experimental interviews, Milgram provides a compelling and disturbing portrait of the human capacity for obedience, even in the face of moral conflict.

The book also addresses the ethical implications of Milgram's research, acknowledging the stress experienced by some participants but arguing that the knowledge gained about human behavior justifies the methods used. Milgram connects his findings to real-world atrocities, such as the Holocaust and the My Lai massacre, suggesting that the same psychological processes that led participants to shock the learner in the lab can explain the atrocities committed by ordinary people in the service of malevolent authority. Ultimately, "Obedience to Authority" serves as a powerful reminder of the need for individuals to question authority and resist unjust commands.