Ask AI: Discuss the milgram experiment with a specific real life example

The Milgram experiment is one of the most famous studies in psychology. Conducted by Stanley Milgram at Yale University in the 1960s, it used a series of social psychology experiments to measure the willingness of participants to obey an authority figure, even when those instructions conflicted with their personal morals. The participants believed they were administering increasingly intense electric shocks to another person, when in reality, no one was actually being hurt. Let's consider an example to demonstrate how this applies in real life. Think about how military hierarchy works. In this case, the authority figures are the commanding officers and their authority is typically not questioned. The soldiers are like the participants in the Milgram experiment. Like the participants in the study, soldiers are expected to obey orders even if they don't agree with them, they find them morally reprehensible, or they believe they may cause harm to another human being. For a specific historical example, you can look at the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. Many of those who carried out horrific actions argued they were just following orders. This is a stark example of how obedience to authority can lead to devastating consequences, as was suggested by the results of the Milgram experiment. Though the experiment was partly a response to these events, it mirrors the same sort of behavior observed in those who claimed they were merely obeying orders. However, it's important to remember that the Milgram experiment has been criticized for ethical reasons, as it misled participants about the nature of the experiment and potentially caused them psychological stress. Additionally, some have pointed out that context and individual social conditioning plays a significant role, which means that obedience may not be as automatic as Milgram's results suggested.

The Milgram Experiment was a famous psychological experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s. The experiment examined the effects of authority on individual behavior. In the experiment participants were ordered by an authority figure to perform an action which went against their personal moral code. A real life example of the Milgram Experiment could be seen in the case of concentration camp guards during the Holocaust. The guards were given orders by their superiors that went against their personal beliefs, such as directing them to commit cruel and inhumane acts against prisoners. Although they were aware that these actions were wrong, they continued to abide by the orders due to their obedience to authority. This demonstrates how powerful the influence of authority can be on an individual’s behavior, even when their actions are against their own moral code.