Milgram - Study of Obedience

Milgram was interested in the reasons why individuals, such as concentration camp guards in Nazi Germany, committed atrocities. Such individuals often used the excuse that they were 'following orders'.  Milgram wanted to test whether ordinary Americans could be induced to hurt another person, an act which they knew and understood to be wrong, simply due to obedience to authority.

 

The study is now most famous for the controversy and discussion  regarding ethical conduct of psychological experiments which it has created since it was conducted.