Milgram's Use Of Following Instructions

318 Words2 Pages
Why do people follow orders or directions given by authority figures? People tend to obey orders from people they recognize as a higher authority pose a threat to their safety.This can occur in many places and situations like families, work, and even school. This was put to test when Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment in 1963. The author notes, “Milgram was interested in researching how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person,” (Mcleod 1). This experiment consisted of a teacher, learner, and experimenter. Participants were 40 males aging between 20 and 50 whose jobs ranged from unskilled to professional. These regular men were assigned to either an electric chair or the controller of the chair.