#631 | The Dark Side of Psychology | The Milgram Experiment

In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram tested how far ordinary Americans would go when an authority figure told them to hurt someone.

His disturbing experiment revealed the power of obedience and raised frightening questions about how easily good people can do terrible things.

Adolf Eichmann's trial and the banality of evil

Stanley Milgram studies obedience to authority at Yale

Volunteers deceived with teacher and learner roles

Shock machine with rising volts and scripted learner reactions

Experimenter prompts encourage teachers to continue

Sixty-five per cent gave the maximum 450-volt shock

Variations test authority setting proximity and peer dissent

Factors include authority distance and gradual escalation

Ethical debates and belief in real shocks

2009 replication and the agentic state concept