How and Why Milgram’s Research on Obedience Is Relevant to Our Understanding of the Conduct of Soldiers in Times of War. Understanding Soldiers Conduct in Times of War Through Psychological Research.

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The report aims to: • Summarise Stanley Milgram’s obedience study; • Identify the links between Milgrams study and soldiers in times of war; • Explain how Milgram’s study may account for the conduct of soldiers in times of war. Introduction Stanley Milgram (1933 – 1984) was an American social psychologist best known for his controversial obedience studies. Born to Jewish parents, ‘Milgram’s work was inspired by the big moral question in the middle of the twentieth century, namely how the horrors of the Second World War could have happened and how they could be prevented in the future.’ (Banyard, 2010, p.63) Milgram’s obedience study In 1961, Milgram devised an experiment to explore obedience to authority by getting what he labelled as ‘subjects’ - voluntary male participants, to administer incremental electric shocks to others under instruction by an authoritative figure called the ‘experimenter’. By placing ‘subjects’ in a moral dilemma of administering what was perceived as potentially deadly shocks, Milgram wanted to measure how far the ‘subject’ would go under instruction before terminating the experiment. The details and results of the study were both shocking and controversial. Average shock levels administered were at 368 volts which was perceived as a dangerous level and only 35% refused to administer the maximum voltage of 450 volts. (Banyard, 2010, p73) Ethics The ethics of the study came under much scrutiny because: 1. Volunteers did not know the true nature of the study - thinking they were participating in a study of memory; 2. Volunteers could and did suffer stress - with some suffering from physical affects; 3. Volunteers were unable to end the experiment when they first indicated and were coerced to “carry on” by the ‘experimenter’. Although this study was significant to the study of social psychology, it would violate today’s ethics

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