Oh, that's better than I thought.

[gaudior]

So, lots of people know about the Milgrim experiment, wherein people were ordered to shock a confederate to the point of apparently killing him. And we're always shocked to hear that people did it-- it tells us a lot about authority and will and how fascism works.

The thing I didn't know was the percentage that refused. While it's true that the majority went on and shocked the person apparently to death-- it's not that big a majority.

35% of people wouldn't do it. When the experiment was repeated (in a kinder and gentler and less traumatic fashion) in 2006 by Burger, that number was 30% and 36% in two different conditions.

A third of people wouldn't do it.

So... be part of that third. And show other people that they can do it, too.

--R

Comments

[ryenna.livejournal.com]

Have you read Opening Skinner's Box? The author went and found some of the people who participated in the Milgram experiments and talked to them well after the fact. Some of the ones who followed the order to continue shocking the "subject" went on to be very different people, consciously questioning authority and their treatment of others.

Similarly, another experiment in the diffusion of responsibility and discussion of that phenomenon seems to have an effect on people who know about it. If you know that in an emergency, people tend to hesitate and look for a leader instead of acting, you're less likely to hesitate and more likely to act. Because you know the instinctual response groups have.

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

Learning about the experiment a year ago for a psychology examination was a horrible time. For some days, I brooded about what I would have done, knowing that I hate to cause anyone pain, yet I have a tendency to do what I'm told in order to please people. I'm glad that so large a percentage refused. Perhaps knowing about such things helps one to make the right choice in reality.

[khava.livejournal.com]

I had no idea the percentage was that high. I would have guessed about 15% refused.

I know as close to a fact as possible that I would be one of the refusers. When I was in high school, I went to a summer college program and took a psychology class. The professor opened the first day with a demonstration. He didn't give an introduction or anything, just walked in and started telling the students to do progressively weirder and weirder things. It started with please move to that other seat, then progressed to throwing a ball around, jumping up and down, dancing in front of the class, stuff like that. I was the only person in the entire class to refuse to do something he told me to. He just said ok, I sat back down, and he continued telling the other students to do things for another 5 minutes or so. I've always been really proud of that moment.

[navrins]

I believe I'd be part of that third. I admit I'm not certain.

On the other hand, I still take to heart one of the things I learned from my first-grade teacher: Never volunteer for something until you know what you're volunteering for.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

And it was the reluctance of Nazi soldiers to massacre Jews that led to setting up the camps. It wasn't easy for fascists to get people to be fascists. What's easy is getting people to turn a blind eye to things to things that aren't their own immediate concerns.

[storyspoiler.livejournal.com]

A class I've always wished my school had was a psychology of heroism class. There's a lot of classes and studies and research about how people become abnormal and evil, but I've never once seen a paper or a class on how to be a hero. I've taken an extremism class; I know pretty well how people can do terrible things. I would like a class (or at least a bit of reading) on how to be one of that 33%

[faerieboots.livejournal.com]

Oh dude awesome! Thanks for sharing. :)