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Stanley Milgram Experiment Essay

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Stanley Milgram’s experiments have become some of the most well know experiments with obedience. In the 1960s Milgram set up an experiment to test obedience in a situation where following directions would cause pain to another person. In the study an actor pretended to be shocked by the participant. The participants were told when to administer these shocks by a person of authority, or in this case a man in a white lab coat. People would administer the shock even if it was set to fatal levels all because a person of perceived authority told them to do it.
Stanley Milgram’s experiments on destructive obedience have allowed us to see how people respond to perceived authority, at least at the time. Milgrams experiment took place in the 60’s, …show more content…

People are sharing information that’s been kept quit for years and it has caused many people to be skeptical of authority. More then ever we are seeing Americans distrust their government, the highest authority. We have all heard the stories about how Bush did 9/11 and the overwhelming distrust of police; these are just examples of what happens when authorities lose the trust of the public.
When Milgram ran his experiment he was still in a time that greatly respected authority. A man wearing a white trench coat would have been associated with a doctor or scientist. In the sixties this would have instantly signaled that this man was a professional because who else would dress like this besides a professional. Today we know that people aren’t always who they say they are and a degree doesn’t guarantee that the person knows what they’re doing. If we look at children today we can see how even they have reached a new status in society. Unlike the fifties, we let children have a voice and recognize they’re much more capable then we’ve previously treated them. No only are kids being given a voice, but they have the Internet at their fingers. Children connected as well as exposed to a lot more that would have been censored in the sixties. The children of today are much more opposed to authority, something that can be seen in young adults now and their growing

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