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  • Essay / Obedience, by Ian Parker and Review of Stanley...

    Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist in 1963, conducted an experiment on human obedience that has been considered one of the most controversial experiments in social psychology of all time (Blass). The original goal of the experiment was to determine whether the Germans during World War II were simply obeying authority when they carried out the Holocaust. The test subject, or teacher, administered electric shocks to the learner, a paid actor, when he or she responded to the word pairs incorrectly. The shocks started at 15 V and increased in 15 V increments up to 450 V for each incorrect response. The teacher thought the learner was receiving electric shocks when in reality the learner was not receiving any shocks. An instructor, the authoritative figure, sat behind the teacher, instructing him to continue even when the learner cried out in pain. Sixty-five percent of the time, the teacher continued until he administered the highest shock at 450 V (Cherry). This experience proves that when circumstances are right, society obeys authority. Ian Parker, a writer for The New Yorker, and Diana Baumrind, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, responded to Mr. Milgram's experiments with their own direct responses. These articles represent the way in which the scientific community examines and scrutinizes each other's work to authenticate the results of experiments. Baumrind focuses on the moral and ethical dilemma while on the contrary Parker focuses more on the application of real experience. Diana Baumrind considers Milgram's experiment more of a "game" than a real scientific experiment (Baumrind 225). She claims that Milgram left no “margin” on the subject (226). Baumrind also believes that Milgram did not care enough about welfare...... middle of paper ......lgram should have offered a physiatrist or therapy to patients after participating in the experiment. Parker offers a simple formulation to solve the problem: “Works CitedBaumrind, Diana. “Review of Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiments.” Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 230-240. Print. Blass, Thomas. “The man who shocked the world.” Psychology today: health, help, happiness. Sussex Publishers, LLC, March 1, 2001. Web. October 10, 2011.Cherry, Kendra. “The Milgram Obedience Experiment.” Psychology for students, educators and enthusiasts. New York Times. Internet. September 3, 2008. October 11, 2011 Parker, Ian. "Obedience." Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 224-229. Print.