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Classmate's answer A

After learning about Milgram’s experiment on obedience, I found the results both surprising and counterintuitive. I completely agree with the statement, “Most people, regardless of their sex, class, education, or religious backgrounds will perform acts of destructive obedience if they are placed in a situation where it is demanded of them” in order to sustain oneself. To define something as counterintuitive is to indicate that it is contrasting to intuition.

I don’t believe it’s innate human nature to want to hurt others. Many times, it’s my intimidation of authority that makes us do a lot of actions we normally would not do. The volunteers in Milgram’s experiment did not think to ever harm another person, but they did so, all because they were told to flip the switch and shock the “learner.” This experiment, to me, produced surprising results. It made me wonder what I would do, if I were to be in the same situation. It is very interesting how easily another person’s words or authority can mold a person’s actions. These participants knew what they were doing was opposite of their beliefs, but still shocked the other member. It goes to show that we are not truly always in control of our actions and how much our environment can effect us. The statistics show that "“80 percent of them were giving victims what they thought were near lethal 450-volt shocks." That's more people listening to authority, than going against it. This experiment was a perfect example in showing the resistance to challenge an abusive authority.

A contemporary instance of over conformity that comes to mind is terrorism. A person who is a part of a terrorist organization conforms to their authority and thinks that it is okay to do so. In some cases, they mistaken authority to be an evil God, or someone who has power. The closer they are to the organization, the less of a chance they would disobey or challenge their leader’s authority. The overconformity comes into play when one believes that they are going to satisfy or please their spiritual leaders demands. Whether it be religion or terrorism, authority figures can almost convince others of anything, simply because of their social status. Overall, Milgram’s experiment proves how humans respond to authority, regardless of their personal believes

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