Obedience to Authority

Current Perspectives on the Milgram Paradigm

Thomas Blass

• Publisher: Psychology Press
• Year: 1999
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781135683078
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience to authority are among the most important psychological studies of this century. Perhaps because of the enduring significance of the findings--the surprising ease with which ordinary persons can be commanded to act destructively against an innocent individual by a legitimate authority--it continues to claim the attention of psychologists and other social scientists, as well as the general public. The study continues to inspire valuable research and analysis. The goal of this book is to present current work inspired by the obedience paradigm.

This book demonstrates the vibrancy of the obedience paradigm by presenting some of its most important and stimulating contemporary uses and applications. Paralleling Milgram's own eclecticism in the content and style of his research and writing, the contributions comprise a potpourri of styles of research and presentation--ranging from personal narratives, through conceptual analyses, to randomized experiments.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• 1: My Personal View of Stanley Milgram
• 2: How Stanley Milgram Taught About Obedience and Social Influence
• 3: Professor Stanley Milgram—Supervisor, Mentor, Friend
• 4: The Milgram Paradigm After 35 Years: Some Things We Now Know About Obedience to Authority
• 5: Impression Management and Identity Construction in the Milgram Social System
• 6: Captain Paul Grueninger: The Chief of Police Who Saved Jewish Refugees by Refusing to Do His Duty
• 7: Self-Destructive Obedience in the Airplane Cockpit and the Concept of Obedience Optimization
• 8: The Role of the Obedience Experiments in Holocaust Studies: The Case for Renewed Visibility
• 9: A Science Museum Exhibit on Milgram’s Obedience Research: History, Description, and Visitors’ Reactions
• 10: The Dynamics of Obeying and Opposing Authority: A Mathematical Model
• 11: Reflections on the Stanford Prison Experiment: Genesis, Transformations, Consequences