Dr. Stanley Milgram defined obedience as “the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose.” What do you think encourages obedience? Is it fear of punishment; a desire to please; or is it a need to go along with the group? As some students watched the film Obedience, they laughed at the people receiving the shocks. How do you account for that laughter? Is it because something was funny or was there another reason? Those who study human behavior say that laughter can be a way of relieving tension, showing embarrassment or expressing relief that someone else is “on the spot.” Which explanation is most appropriate in this case? How did some of the volunteers act as they administered the shocks? What pressures were placed on them as the experiment continued? How and when did they decide to stop? Did you identify with any of the volunteers you observed in Obedience? What did you learn that you didn't know before you watched this film?
26 comments:
I think that during the experiment, it was clear that everyone had a moral compass. I think that the thing that set people apart was the ability to push off responsibility. Clearly, if the "learner" died as a result of the shocks, someone would have to be responsible. The people who stopped with the experiment were the people who were unable to lay all the blame on the "scientist" instructing them. As shown with the man that proceeded with the entire spectrum of shocks, he was very hesistant. It was simply because the scientist took all the blame that he continued with the experiment. I think that the motivator to stop going with the group is fear that blame will fall on you. But, when you become blameless, you have no problem proceeding.
Obedience is encouraged by a fear of punishment, a desire to please, and a wanting to fit in. If students laughed because it was funny, they were laughing at the fakeness of the recording. Most of the time, the students were probably laughing because they were so nervous. The laughter was a way to relieve tension and show embarrassment. Some teachers laughed from nervousness and others were angry that they were hurting the learner. The teachers received pressure from the man in the lab coat to continue on with the experiment because they felt a pressure to obey what he was saying. Those who decided to stop the experiment early stopped only because they could hear the learner in pain. The others who continued stopped because they had reached the end of the shocks. If I had been asked to shock people, I probably would not have accepted in the first place. I learned that some people will actually go through the whole experiment, even though they heard the learner in pain. Some even continued when they heard no response indicating that the learner could have passed out or died.
I think that in this experiment, the teachers had a strong desire to please the "scientist" and wanted to fit in. I think that most of them felt like they had to carry through with the experiment because they agreed to do it and signed up to be part of the experiment. Some teachers laughed as the learner would recieve a shock. I think that this laughter was brought about by nervousness, due to the fact that they believed that someone was being hurt on the other end. This laughter may also be from the fact that if something were to happen to the learner, the teacher was not responsible. Some were hestitant to give the shock, yet most of them did it due to the scientist encouraging them. If asked to be part of this experiment, I would have declined. I learned that it is very easy for a person with high authority to control another.
I think the motivation for obedience is mostly to fit in with the crowd. Maybe some of the teachers thought that since the experimenter told him to continue, other teachers continued and it was what they were supposed to do. Some of the people laughed while they were in the experiment. This laughter was probably because they were nervous and relieving the tension of the student's screams. Of the men, those who stopped the shocks stopped when he man started to scream. They realized what they were doing was wrong and did not want to continue. I learned a lot of things from this experiment. I had no idea that it existed before I saw the film. I was surprised that 50% of people went all the way to 450 volts.
I think that the motivation for obedience is to follow what others are doing. If someone tells someone to do something the majority of the time that person listens. When some sort of authority figure tells you do something you believe if they are telling you to do it then you must do it. I think the people laughed out of nervousness and not knowing what to expect. I think that people contuined only because some figure of authority told them too. The people who stopped the experiment when they herd screams realized what they were doing was wrong. The people who continued when they herd screams questioned themselves but continued even though they knew they were wrong by doing schocking another human being. If I was the shocker I would have never even accepted the job in the first place. I don't know how someone can listen to someone else suffer, and going into something they have no clue about.
What encourages obedience is peer pressure and the desire to satisfy those are demanding and intimidating whether it be out of fear, wanting to receive money or gratitude, or wishing to fit in. I think it is one or a combination of the three items- fear, desire to please, or need to go along with the group. I'll admit I laughed during the film, but that was mainly because I found it hilarious listening to the same recording track over and over again. Honestly, it was so obvious that the man had prerecorded the message, because the tone and dialogue was the same every time, and that to me was comical. If the guy had actually been in danger and they used different recording tracks to throw off the audience, it would not have been funny. I highly doubt that it was a way of expressing relief because I did not feel any relief; I actually tried to stop laughing because I wasn't sure if everyone else realized it was a recording. Some volunteers acted surprised and others laughed. They decided to stop when it seemed like the person had passed out or was hurt. I identified with the people who stopped because it seemed pretty harsh to continue. I learned that there are people who will administer pain to others just because they were told to.
I thought that seeing the way different people reacted to the same situation was very interesting. I do not think that fear of punishment really does encourage obedience, unless it is under extreme circumstances where someone would have no other choice. However even then, some people are willing to stand by their own beliefs no matter what. I think that for the majority, obedience is encouraged through the desire to please and get a sense of belonging. Everyone wants to feel as though they belong somewhere, which can mean pleasing particular people. This prompts many to obey the people in power. When the volunteers were administering the shocks, all of them were visibly uncomfortable at some point. Everyone asked about the learner and wanted to see that he was okay, however not everyone refused to stop when it sounded like it was getting really painful. Some people even started laughing, which I think was a nervous reaction from being put on the spot. As the experiment continued, there was a lot of pressure on the teacher. They all felt like they shouldn't hurt the learner, but when the experimenter told them they had to keep going they struggled with the idea of obeying. Many of the people decided to stop when the learners screams got louder, and the pain was more evident. I identified with the volunteer that was first, because I think I would have reacted in a similar way when the experimenter told me it was crucial to continue. Through watching this film, I learned that people really can be easily influenced by someone who is an authority figure. I was also surprised that the one man was willing to continue after he was reassured that what happened to the learner would not be his responsibility.
During this film, I was very surprised to see that nobody actually got up and stopped the experiment. Almost all of the men stopped and made a comment saying that they did not want to continue and wanted to make sure that the student was okay. However, when the teacher was told to continue, he did. I think these teachers continued because they were being obedient, even if that meant going against there morals. I think that most of these men continued because they did sign up and want to please the scientist. I think some of the teachers started to laugh because they felt nervous and that something was wrong. I was very surprised to know that 50% of the teachers continued even though they knew they were hurting someone else. I guess that is what people will do to fit into a group.
During the experiment, every "teacher" shown had questioned the situation multiple times. Most of the examples shown refused to reach the highest voltage. Almost all of their reasons for saying that they would not go on is because they felt responsible for the man inside's well being. The one teacher who did continue on, was told multiple times he would not be responsible. The most appropriate explanation for the nervous laughter by the students in the class would be that someone else was put on the spot. I think many people would be obedient in this case due to the desire to please and the need to go along with the group. None of the test subjects wanted to let down the experimenter. I think the overwhelming answer is that the teachers who did move on to keep shocking did so because they were held to no responsibility. I learned that under the circumstances, people will do crazy things if not held responsible.
The reason why people encourage obedience is to fallow the group. No one wants to live in the fear of being left out and thought of an outcast in a group. People obey because that the easy thing to do and they want to be a part of the group. I believe the reason why people laugh when someone else is hurt is the combination of them feeling fear for the person that is being hurt, they don't want to show they are actually worrying so they laugh. And people laugh because they are glad that it isn't them in that position. They thinks its funny to watch someone else get hurt. As volunteers administered the shocks some people were actually worried for the person getting shocked and stopped, some were worried but continued because that is what they were told to do, and some laughed maybe out of worry and continued. The pressures that were placed on the teacher was to decide to stop the experiment and help the person getting shocked or obey the orders that they were given. The teachers decided to stop when they could hear the person getting hurt and they refused to obey the orders to keep going but some just kept obeying their orders and didn't stop. I saw obedience in these people as some kept obeying orders out of fear and kept going because they were told and I learned that people have to realize the orders they are being given and decide from their gut instinct, do I believe in this?
In this experiment people's ability to obey was tested. Some men had a moral compass and decided not to obey the scientist and keep going on. This one man went on all the way just because he had held no responsibility, even tho the learner didn't respond.
I think the reason people continued to the end of the expierment is the desire to please your superiors, and the unity of a common goal in this case the success of the experiment caused the "teachers" to go to the point where they thought they were seriously harming another human being. once the responsiblity was taken away from them many people went on to do bad things because they felt as if they were part of a unit or team and wanted to please the authorities of the group. I also believe that they weren't laughing because they thought it was funny I think it was nervous laughter, and I think that they were nervous because on some level they knew when they continued that they were doing the wrong thing they just weren't strong willed enough to quit.
I think that throughout this entire experiment, the idea of authority was largely present. The official running the experiment told the "teacher" what to do. The "teacher" was supposed to blindly obey, regardless of what they were being told. Many "teachers" did just that. Even though they were fully aware that the "student" was receiving painful zaps, many of them carried on with the experiment. They had an authority figure who was telling them to do something, so they did it. Additionally, many of them laughed as the person reacted to getting the shocks. I feel like this is not because they are evil people who enjoy inflicting pain upon others but rather their nervousness regarding what they were doing. They knew it was wrong, and that the experiment was unjust, however, many of them continued the shocks just because the teacher told them to.
Personally, I do not encourage obedience because when the power of an authority figure overwhelms the individual beliefs, obedience to authority only counteracts one’s own values and morals. I believe obedience is the combination of fear of punishment, a desire to please and a need to fit in the group. If people listen to the same recording track over and over again, they may feel funny. Laughter can be a way of relieving tension because the volunteers in the spot were definitely nervous and they considered about the consequences. Thus, the volunteers laughed as a way to reduce the pressure of harming someone’s life. They decided to stop when the person in the other room was hurt or had passed out. I identify myself with the volunteers who stopped because I would make my own judgment rather than be obedient to the order. The Milgram Experiment demonstrates the ability if which an authority figure can easily manipulate the complaint and obedient nature of human beings. Because Dr. Milgram interned to a stern looking experimenter in a white coat, these “teachers” were insecure about their own decision although they know the consequences of 450 volts shock to the “learners”. No matter how harsh these “learners” inside the room faced, the “teachers” still continued because of Dr. Milgram’s order. It is interesting to find out that the external forces can compel a conscious human being to perform such harmful acts. However, I think we should make the right decisions and be responsible for our own actions.
What I noticed most about the experiment was that the teachers were most obedient when they didn't really know the effects of the pain they were causing-they couldn't see the student. The moment that they heard the student scream out and beg to stop they began to question what they were doing. This is where the two different type of people were revealed: the ones who followed their moral compass an the ones that followed authority. I also saw that the teachers who went up to 450 volts made sure that no blame would be placed upon them for any harm that occurred to the student because of them. It was easier for them to accept what they were doing knowing they were not responsible.
I think a lot of the people in the film obeyed due to a desire to please the man that was administering the experiment. He seemed like an authority figure, and therefore the people who were giving the shocks felt the need to please this man and go along with what he said. The student's laughter was probably from nervousness at hearing the people receive the shocks. It may have also been because some of the "teachers" were laughing when they heard the person in the room yell ow! The people who decided to stop the experiment could hear the other person yelling for them to stop and was enough of an individual to stick with their gut and stop the experiment. The other people had a stronger desire to please and didn't want to be punished so they kept going along with the experiment, even though someone was getting hurt. I didn't realize how far a person would go to obey orders, even if they knew someone could be very hurt in the process.
I had already seen the Milgram experiment in psychology last year and it was still interesting to watch. I believe that the students who laughed were laughing because they were happy to not be in the situation. We all like to believe that we wouldn't shock the student for as long as some people did but who knows until your on the spot. All of the teachers shown showed some signs of caring for the well being of the student however only some stopped while others went all the way. The teachers had to deal with pressure from the experimenter telling them to move on and obey, and they also had to deal with the mental pressure of willingly shocking a screaming man. Most of the participants stopped when the man started screaming to be let out but a some stopped after they reached the max volts. I learned that some people will blindly follow an authority figure and go against what they think is wrong, even if it means killing someone
I think obedience is a result of many factors: fear of punishment, desire to please, need to go along with the group, and for personal satisfaction. I believe the students were laughing because they were nervous and uncomfortable with the situation being presented in front of them; laughing can be a way of relieving tension. It also could have been laughter of disbelief, as in “how could the ‘teacher’ possibly continue to administer shocks after the ‘learner’ complained of a heart condition!” Some of the volunteers continued to administer shocks until the “XXX” switch had been flipped. Others refused to continue administering the shocks, despite the experimenter’s instruction. Most of the “teachers” that did stop giving the shocks stopped after they heard the “student” cry out that he didn’t want to participate any more and that his heart was bothering him. If I were partaking in this experiment, I probably would have opted not to participate once I found out that I would have to administer shocks and inflict pain on another human being. This film only emphasized to me the power of human nature and the natural desire to do as you’re told and not question authority.
I was absent during this film.
in this experiment the teacher was admistrating shocks to the student for money. the insentive of the money and the athority the scientist had would have ended up killing %50
of the students without even knowing it. by trusting an athoritive figure they could have been killing the students because they trused someone with power even though the student was yelling back to stop because his heart hurt. this was a fine way to show how the german comunity so easly fell into the nazi party hands
I think obedience is a mixture of all of these things but most of all I think it has to do with the fear of punishment. Most little kids for example listen to their parents telling them to clean their room out of fear of punishment not trying to belong to anything. I think in the case of hurlers reign in Germany many people had their different reasons for their obedience but I would bet most of the reasons would be because of fear of punishment. Just like laughter is a method of coping I think physco logically people laugh when they feel uncomfortable too.
Based on the Miligram expirement i think that obedience is encourged by fear of punishment and the trus in others. Like in the begging the exirimentor said that the shocks are just painful, but not harmful. If the techer knew that they werent harmful I think they just trusted the expiretomentors because he was a man sepiority. I bealive that the laughter realived by the techers was a sign of tension between whay they though was happing to the learner, and what the exirimentor told them. If the supior figure, in this caes the exiremetor, tells you that it is okay to proceed then you bealive that it is okay, nut there is doubt that you are hurting the learner. The Techer would laugh when the learner would cry in pain, but as soon they reached the point of knowing this man is hurt, they stopped. even though 50% of people completed the entire shock specturm, they didnt feel right about it by the time they got the end, The teachers always looked distrought and depressed, but continued on anyays because the person in cahrge told them to because they trusted him.
This video was very interesting, because it showed how people react when they are told to do something that they don't want to. I think this shows how our obedience is tied in with out need for order and guidance. Their laughing was a way of trying to seem more comfortable with what they were doing, and take the strain off of themselves. Most of them didn't stop until they were told to do so by the experimenter, because they wanted to believe that he knew what he was doing. Although some of them tried to resist, ,ost of them submitted to the authority figure. That's why I think obedience is the act of wanting guidance from an authority figure.
I think that while the experiment was happening, nobody wanted to shack another human being, some stopped as soon as the student began complaining while others went past when the student had died. The people that stopped knew that they had a choice to stop, the teachers who kept going would stop and complain but listened to the experimenter who said they had to keep going. They "killed" another human being just because the man in the white coat said so.
the people participating in the experiment on ly continued because they were told to do so. THey were aware that they were causing someone else pain, but they did not stop because they wanted to finish the experiment. I think the key thing noticed here was that most people felt bad as they administered the shocks. the reason that people weere laughing was that they felt uncomfortable, and they couldn't believe that the person was getting the answers wrong.
I think that the participants in the experiment laughed out of either nervousness or relief that they weren't in the "hot seat." On the other hand, I believe that students found certain parts of the film funny due to the recording that kept repeating. Most of the "teachers" did show compassion for the "student" and insisted that it must stop; even the individual who went til the very end showed that he had morals. I think the thing that set this man apart was that he didn't feel truly feel the burden of his actions. He didn't take responsibility and so he continued to administer the shocks. I also noticed that towards the end, he did this very quickly in order to escape from the whole situation.
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