Milgram Shock and Stanford Prison — what we misunderstand about the most infamous experiments in psychologyMilgram Shock and Stanford Prison — what we misunderstand about the most infamous experiments in psychology
All In The Mind
What makes people do evil things? Psychologist Stanley Milgram wanted to understand if people could be led to do awful things, just by being told to do them. The experiment he would devise to test this would become one of the most infamous examples of unethical studies in the field of psychology: The Milgram Shock Experiment. But Professor Alex Haslam says that's not the full picture… And the findings are misunderstood.
30:00•29 Oct 2022
Rethinking Obedience: The Real Lessons from Milgram and Stanford Prison Experiments
“The message of Milgram is that people blindly obey the orders of an authority figure and that leads them to perpetrate acts of harm. But the reality is that most acts of tyranny are the result of engaged followership, where people buy into the project and go along with it to the extent that they identify with it.”
Ever wondered why people commit terrible acts when ordered to? This episode of 'All In The Mind' takes a deep dive into two of psychology's most infamous experiments: Stanley Milgram's obedience study and the Stanford Prison experiment. Host Lynne Malcolm speaks with Professor Alex Haslam, who sheds light on the often misunderstood results of these studies. While Milgram's work is typically seen as proof that people will blindly follow authority, Haslam argues that the truth is more complex.
Most harmful actions come from 'engaged followership', where individuals identify with the goals of the group and commit acts because they believe in the cause. This episode doesn't just stop at reinterpreting old data; it also tackles the ethical questions surrounding these experiments and what they reveal about human nature. Perfect for anyone curious about the darker sides of psychology and the nuances of human behavior.
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