Obedience in social psychology However, there are reasons for suggesting that this definition is too narrow in that it specifies that a particular social act – the order or command – is necessary for obedience to occur. Aug 28, 2023 · Obedience is an essential concept in psychology. New York, NY Nov 16, 2023 · The topics of conformity, social influence, obedience, and group processes demonstrate the power of the social situation to change our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Jan 1, 2020 · The standard definition of obedience in psychology is as a form of social influence elicited in response to a direct order or command. Dec 2, 2023 · Conformity. It differs from compliance (which involves changing your behavior at the request of another person) and conformity (which involves altering your behavior in order to go along with the rest of the group). Obedience includes considering social context, the authority and power of others, and personal morals and values. Miller (Ed. Oct 11, 2023 · Obedience involves following direct orders or commands from an authority figure. Behavioral study of obedience. Silver. Obedience is compliance with commands given by an authority figure. Mar 14, 2025 · The Milgram Shock Experiment, conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s, tested obedience to authority. Psychologists have typically defined obedience as a form of social influence elicited in response to direct orders from an authority figure. Despite hearing the actor’s screams, most participants continued administering shocks, demonstrating the powerful influence It was this unsettling side of obedience that led to some of the most famous and most controversial research in the history of psychology. What can the Milgram obedience experiments tell us about the Holocaust? Generalizing from the social psychology laboratory. In the most influential set of studies of obedience, condu Sep 4, 2015 · Obedience is a form of social influence that involves performing an action under the orders of an authority figure. Explore key studies, examples, and the psychological mechanisms behind obedience. It showed that people have a strong tendency to comply with authority figures. (2004). Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67, 371. The key difference lies in the source: compliance stems from peers or general social cues, while obedience arises from perceived authority. New York: McGraw-Hill. Learn how people are influenced by the thoughts and behaviors of others in social situations. Aug 26, 2020 · The individual in a social world: Essays and experiments. In the most influential set of studies of obedience, condu Obedience in social psychology refers to compliance with orders from an authority figure. In the 1960s, the social psychologist Stanley Milgram did a famous research study called the obedience study. In the most influential set of studies of obedience, conducted by Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s, the orders at the disposal of the authority figure were a … In the context of obedience, several key terms such as conformity, compliance, and authority warrant further exploration to fully grasp their interconnectedness within social psychology. Mar 9, 2025 · The examination of obedience expanded within psychology following World War II, as scholars sought to comprehend how normal individuals could perpetrate atrocities when instructed to do so. (1963). Conformity refers to the process of adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to align with perceived group norms. One of the first studies to empirically investigate obedience occurred in 1936. Milgram ( 1963 , 1965 , 1974 ) wanted to know why so many otherwise decent German citizens went along with the brutality of the Nazi leaders during the Holocaust. . We begin this section with a discussion of a famous social psychology experiment that demonstrated how susceptible humans are to outside social pressures. McGraw-Hill Series in Social Psychology. The researchers generally sought to identify the psychological structures that determined how dependent humans were on the rules of society. Stanley Milgram’s notable experiments during the 1960s unveiled individuals’ surprising readiness to follow harmful orders from authority figures. In A. Miller, A. Apr 16, 2025 · Obedience to authority has historically been an important topic of scientific investigation in social psychology and sociology. 193–239). Aug 29, 2018 · Psychologists have typically defined obedience as a form of social influence elicited in response to direct orders from an authority figure. The question of why people obey others, its impact on society, and the factors that impact obedience are essential in understanding social behavior and social influence. ), The social psychology of good and evil (pp. Edited by J. G. 2d ed. Participants were instructed to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to another person, who was actually an actor, as they answered questions incorrectly. Nov 13, 2020 · Milgram, S. Sabini and M. Explore the Asch effect, the Milgram experiment, and the factors that affect conformity, compliance, and obedience. According to the American Psychological Association’s glossary of psychological terms (2012), conformity is the predisposition of an individual to assume similar beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors as other members of the group he or she is trying to fit in to. This series of writings by Stanley Milgram covers a variety of aspects of social influence, among other topics. Nov 8, 2024 · In psychology, various factors comprise obedience. Jul 31, 2024 · This post delves into the psychology of obedience, examining classic experiments like S tanley Milgram’s study and the factors that influence whether people will comply with authority figures, even in morally questionable situations. jtldcy fkxb paxb zmrc kkpsb zor bqol hpae ozxvc fwvou daejovsh wspaq aadxoa qtspcr sllqud