1st Edition

Obedience to Authority Current Perspectives on the Milgram Paradigm

Edited By Thomas Blass Copyright 2000
    266 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    266 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    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.

    Contents: Preface. A. Milgram, My Personal View of Stanley Milgram. H. Takooshian, How Stanley Milgram Taught About Obedience and Social Influence. J. Waters, Professor Stanley Milgram--Supervisor, Mentor, Friend. T. Blass, The Milgram Paradigm After 35 Years: Some Things We Now Know About Obedience to Authority. B.E. Collins, L. Ma, Impression Management and Identity Construction in the Milgram Social System. F. Rochat, A. Modigliani, Captain Paul Grueninger: The Chief of Police Who Saved Jewish Refugees by Refusing to Do His Duty. E. Tarnow, Self-Destructive Obedience in the Airplane Cockpit and the Concept of Obedience Optimization. A.L. Saltzman, The Role of the Obedience Experiments in Holocaust Studies: The Case for Renewed Visibility. C. Marsh, A Science Museum Exhibit on Milgram's Obedience Research: History, Description, and Visitors' Reactions. F. Rochat, O. Maggioni, A. Modigliani, The Dynamics of Obeying and Opposing Authority: A Mathematical Model. P.G. Zimbardo, C. Maslach, C. Haney, Reflections on the Stanford Prison Experiment: Genesis, Transformations, Consequences.

    Biography

    Thomas Blass

    "This book presents valuable additional information, extensions, and rich additional facts on one of the most important experiments in psychology."
    Gruppendynamik und Organisationsbertatung

    "...although seeming at the outset to be a book about the past, it is in fact very much about the present....it provides some excellent first-hand illustrative material for work in personal, social and moral education...[and] with student teachers in considering their future role with regard to their use of power and their expectations of obedience within educational settings."
    British Journal of Educational Psychology

    "Thomas Blass...probably has done more than anyone to keep Milgram's research a part of contemporary social psychology....Milgram's work still provides the best insight into one of the most important questions social psychologists have ever asked."
    Contemporary Psychology