Obedience to Authority: Summary Review
This is a summary review of Obedience to Authority containing key details about the book.
What is Obedience to Authority About?
"Obedience to Authority" by Stanley Milgram is a seminal work in the field of social psychology that explores the extent to which people are willing to obey an authority figure even when doing so goes against their personal moral code. The book was based on a series of psychological experiments conducted by Milgram in the early 1960s, and it had a profound impact on our understanding of obedience and authority.
Obedience to Authority is a book that concerns a series of experiments on obedience to authority figures he conducted in the early 1960s. This book provides an in-depth look into his methods, theories and conclusions. The author's experiments on obedience to authority are considered 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.
Summary Points & Takeaways from Obedience to Authority
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* The power of authority: The experiments showed that people were willing to obey an authority figure even when that meant administering painful electric shocks to another person. This highlights the power that authority figures can hold over individuals and their willingness to follow orders.
* The role of obedience in human behavior: The results of the experiments showed that obedience is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can vary depending on various factors such as the situation, the authority figure, and the individual’s own personality.
* The importance of personal responsibility: Milgram’s work emphasized the importance of taking personal responsibility for our actions and recognizing that we have the ability to resist authority when it goes against our moral code.
* The limits of human morality: The experiments also shed light on the limits of human morality, as many participants in the experiments went against their personal values and moral codes when instructed to do so by an authority figure.
* Overall, "Obedience to Authority" remains an important and thought-provoking work that continues to influence contemporary discussions about obedience, authority, and the nature of human behavior.
Who is the author of Obedience to Authority?
Stanley Milgram was an American social psychologist, best known for his controversial experiments on obedience conducted in the 1960s during his professorship at Yale.
Book details
- Print length: 256 pages
- Genre: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science
What are the chapters in Obedience to Authority?
Chapter 1 My Personal View of Stanley Milgram
Chapter 2 How Stanley Milgram Taught About Obedience and Social Influence
Chapter 3 Professor Stanley MilgramSupervisor Mentor Friend
Chapter 4 Some Things We Now Know About Obedience to Authority
Chapter 5 Impression Management and Identity Construction in the Milgram Social System
Chapter 6 The Chief of Police Who Saved Jewish Refugees by Refusing to Do His Duty
Chapter 7 SelfDestructive Obedience in the Airplane Cockpit and the Concept of Obedience
Chapter 8 The Case for Renewed Visibility
Chapter 9 History Description and Visitors Reactions
Chapter 10 A Mathematical Model
Chapter 11 Genesis Transformations Consequences
What is a good quote from Obedience to Authority?
Top Quote: “Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority.” (Meaning) - Obedience to Authority Quotes, Stanley Milgram
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “A major contribution to our knowledge of man’s behavior. It establishes firmly in the front rank of social scientists in this generation.” — Jerome S. Brunner, Oxford University
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in enhancing your personal growth, I suggest checking out my list of favorite self-development books. These books have been instrumental in my own personal development and I'm confident they can help you too.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
