Introduction
The Milgram Experiment is a monumental exploration of the dark side of human obedience to authority, which discovers the many different factors that influence us when faced with internal conflicts and external directives. Under the leadership of Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s, this experiment aimed at researching the critical issue of whether people would obey orders, even when their inner moral guidance turned them around. Via a set of well-crafted simulations, the subjects underwent an exhausting and somewhat realistic portrayal of obedience. It looked at how people like you and me can do terrible things to others when they are under authorities’ control. This essay outlines the Milgram experiment in detail, paying extensive attention to the methodology, ethical considerations, implications, and findings in the context of modern social psychological theories.
Summary of the Milgram Experiment
The hypothesis of the Milgram Experiment was to investigate the extent to which individuals would obey authority figures, even when their actions conflicted with their conscience (Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk, 2016). Stanley Milgram used a role-playing technique to investigate the factors of obedience to command, in which participants were ordered to use stronger electric shocks on another person. The experiment aimed to understand how ordinary people could commit acts of cruelty under the influence of authority, inspired by the Nuremberg Trials and the defense of Nazi war criminals (Sprouts, 2022). Milgram’s objective of shedding light on obedience is driven mainly by his need to understand the atrocities during World War II and the possible cooperation of obedience in facilitating such behavior.
The participants were recruited through newspaper ads and comprised 40 male volunteers from various backgrounds (CrashCourse, 2014). These individuals did not know they were serving the role of a test subject. They were unaware that they were involved in the investigation of obedience. While the participants were aware of the general nature of the experiment, they were unaware of its true purpose and the extent of the deception involved (Sprouts, 2022). Milgram’s decision to use deception hampered the issuing of informed consent to the participants and also raised the question of possible psychological harm that may emerge. Participants were not paid for their involvement, and the legality of the experiment was subject to ethical scrutiny due to its deceptive nature (CrashCourse, 2014). Various unethical practices, such as the insufficient rewards to the participants and the deceptive method, tortured the ethical considerations, undermining the experimental relevance and contemporary research standards.
Ethical Considerations in the Milgram Experiment
One of the profound moral concerns that resulted from the experiment was the exposure of research participants to various kinds of situations that were analogous to consenting to a fabricated form of torture (Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk, 2016). However, these ethical issues don’t end with the questions of a fair distribution of benefits on the one hand and creating fears over abuse of the use of genetic capability on the other. Still, this upsetting balance of scientific inquiry and ethical aspects also becomes essential for researchers. The long-term psychological effects of the experience are also affected by an analysis of the psychological impact of individuals who, at the time, think contrary to their moral compass and will. Along with this, when, in effect, minds are physically dealt with in the context of controversial experiments, it becomes clear that there must be plentiful ethical standards and oversight methods concerning the conscience of research subjects.
Ethical and Unethical Arguments of the Milgram Experiment
The consequences of the Milgram Experiment are on the other side, where the proponents assert that the Milgram Experiment was ethically justified as it made valuable contributions to our knowledge of how humans obey authority and the dynamics of authority (Sprouts, 2022). The author’s decision to imitate the original disputable environment where the test subjects might face conflicting moral challenges benefited our understanding of human behavior in top-down systems. In addition, it generated indispensable dialogues concerning social conformism and the degree of homage people are ready to provide to perceived figures of control. Nonetheless, it came with the enlightening of psychological techniques used to drive people’s obedience. Viewing the experiment from this angle, the ethical value of the study comprised its empowerment capability: to improve civic behavior in the interests of the well-being of society.
On the other hand, the ethical considerations of Milgram’s Experiment are widely controversial since they criticize the experiment’s inherent torturous approach to the research participants without their fully cognizant consent (Sprouts, 2022). The study’s rather deceiving and manipulative process of getting to know the participants and the emotional pain some people suffer portray a dreadful ethical side of research on human subjects. Besides the long-term psychological consequences such as guilty feelings, anxiety, and mistrust, the psychological issues associated with research that covers sensitive and emotionally conflicting topics stress out the ethical issues in those researches. As such, albeit the study’s findings could have represented a little to science, the ethical irregularities reveal the need for imposing tight ethical guidelines and oversight in psychological research accordingly.
Theory from Textbooks Reflecting on Unethical Orders
Just like in the Milgram Experiment, social psychological theories such as obedience to authority come to mind, which state that individuals may follow unethical orders due to their desire to fit in the group and because they think that those who give the orders are in the right(CrashCourse, 2014). By exploring the factors influencing obedience, the Milgram Experiment contributes to our understanding of human behavior in social contexts and the power dynamics inherent in hierarchical structures.
Results of the Milgram Experiment
The Milgram Experiment demonstrated that a significant majority of participants (65%) were willing to administer the maximum 450-volt shock to the “learner,” supporting the hypothesis that people would obey authority figures even at the expense of harming others (Sprouts, 2022). Thus, these studies show the appalling level of obedience people can have to mere unethical orders when under authority influence. Still, they also introduce us to the vexing concerns of human nature under the pressure of violent regimes.
Ethical Concerns and Contemporary Feasibility
Milgram’s experience remains highly controversial in two exchanges, from moral consideration to concrete result validity and interpretation. The ethics of the study are questionable primarily due to its deceptive nature and the psychological distress it caused to participants (Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk, 2016). Adding the close to the decision without fully informed consent and possible long-term memory damage raises many ethical questions. Today, conducting a similar experiment would likely be prohibited due to stringent ethical standards governing research involving human participants (Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk, 2016). In the current ethical framework of study, the proper and ethical safeguarding of the participants’ well-being and autonomy is a top priority, and it would be tough to repeat the experiment without violating the moral rules.
Connection to Social Psychology Theories
The Milgram experiment and normative social influence are conjoined to illustrate the delicate relations among obedience, conformity, and social impact (Crash Course, 2014). According to the theory of social norm development, people act to fulfill mass expectations and to be appreciated. Still, Milgram’s studies detected the influence of authority and the significance of external conditions on behavior, although more than social consensus is anticipated. Social psychologists can develop a good understanding of the dynamics and the mechanisms of obedience and conformity if they look into them. Thus, they can detect the deeper complexities of human behavior and the environmental forces that frame, relatively speaking, individual activities. However, examining the differences between the normative type of social persuasion and the participation in Milgram’s Experiment results in the perception of the complicated nature of social relationships, which suggests performing research work on the staff of influencing human actions in the group.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the famous Milgram Experiment is an important milestone in the history of social psychology. It broke conventional ideas of human behavior and ethics in research. Nevertheless, it gave out wondrous facts concerning the phenomenon of obedience and authority, and, to this day, its ethical problems remain a subject of professional discussions and debates. As we find ourselves amid psychological research in the modern epoch, the lessons we learn from Milgram’s experiment come to mind as a painful reminder that it is imperative to hold ethical standards in high regard and to ensure the security of the research participants. As a result, the Milgram Experiment is a landmark that compels one to take stock of the power relations existing in the framework of society and highlights the necessity of ethical oversight and moral principles in gaining scientific knowledge.
References
Lof Der Zotheid Psychologenpraktijk. (2016). The Milgram Experiment 1962 Full Documentary. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdrKCilEhC0&ab_channel=LofDerZotheidPsychologenpraktijk
CrashCourse. (2014). Social Influence: Crash Course Psychology #38 [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGxGDdQnC1Y&ab_channel=CrashCourse
Sprouts. (2022). The Milgram Experiment: Obedience to Authority. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuMt8b4UrcI&ab_channel=Sprouts
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