...Obedience to Authority, written by Stanley Milgram, is a book about a highly controversial experiment. The experiment has 3 people in it; with two of them being a part of the experiment. The subject will be told to give the victim shocks up to a dangerously high voltage. The experiment is set up to see if ordinary people will be obedient or defy an authority figure to harm the victim. The experiment is first set up at Yale University to see how the students who are very intelligent would act to authority. Milgram, who made the experiment, set this experiment up because he was curious to as if humans will do cruel and out of their usual behavior things just because an authority figure says so. First, to completely understand the experiment...
Words: 1885 - Pages: 8
...Authority, as with discipline, can have different meanings, and the meaning of “authority” is dependent upon the context in which used for. For example: * The power or enforce obedience * Delegated power * A person whose opinion is accepted because of expertise. The independent police complaints commission The IPCC was formed in 2004 as a result of the police reform act 2002. It replaced the police complaints authority as the independent body to oversee completes, against the police in 43 police services in England and wales. It currently comprises 15 commissioners, who are appointed by the home sectary for a period of 5 years, and a team of independent investigators. Each team of investigators is headed by a regional director in each of its four regions, covering England and wales. The IPCC carries out investigations into serious allegations of misconduct by serving police person. These include allegations of: * Serious or organised corruption * Against senior officers * Involving racism * Of perverting the course of justice. HM chief inspector of prisons Her majesty’s chief inspector of prisons is another independent body which reports to the sectary of state for the ministry of justice on the condition and treatment of prisoners in England and wales. Its authority is given under section 5A of the prisons act 1952 and by section 57 of the criminal justice act 1982. The inspectorate is appointed by the home salutary for a period of 5 years...
Words: 1688 - Pages: 7
...Social Roles in Society June 18, 2011 Social Roles in Society Social roles are patterns of behavior expected from people in various social positions. The concept of social role provides a way to name individuals interdependencies. The expectations that society puts on an individual, socialization is combined with changes in social behavior and organization. Psychology can help identify the components of the development of attitudes and how they change. Many psychologists subscribe to the belief that we take on, and act out certain roles because of cultures and societies (Social Roles and Expectations, n.d.). In 1971 Psychologist Philip Zimbardo along with his colleagues conducted a study that was focused on becoming a prisoner or prison guard. More than 70 applicants answered a newspaper ad and were given application and screening to eliminate people with psychological problem, medical disabilities, and a history of crime or drug abuse (Stanford Prison Experiment, n.d.). A prison environment was assembled in the basement of the Stanford University Psychology Department building. The planned two week investigation ended after only six days, due to the guards and questioning of its morality by Christina Maslach, who was a recent Stanford Ph.D. Social influence is a change in a person’s behavior conducted by the presence or actions of others (Coon & Mitterer, 2010). Stereotyping patterns can easily be identified, when referring to Zimbardo’s Prison, social roles...
Words: 1333 - Pages: 6
...The theory holds that moral reasoning, the basis for ethical behaviour has six identifiable developmental stages which are grouped into 3 levels namely pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Based on this theory, once a person has progressed into the higher stage, it is extremely rare for him/her to regress backward in stages to lose functionality of higher stage abilities. Furthermore, stages are cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors but integrated with them. However, it says that no one functions at their highest stage at all the time. Level 1 (pre-conventional Moral value resides in a person’s own needs and wants which implies the lack of perspective of society. Morality of an action is judged by its direct consequences to that person. Stage 1 (obedience and punishment driven) Sticking to rules to avoid punishment. Individuals focus on direct consequences that their actions will have for themselves. An action is considered as immoral if the person who commits it gets punished. More punishment, more bad it is. Stage 2(self interest driven) Person's moral judgement is motivated by a need to satisfy own desires. Right behaviour being defined by what is in one’s own best interest. Follow rules on when it is in your immediate interest. Limited interest in needs of others, but only to a point where it might further one’s own interest. Concern for others is not based on...
Words: 535 - Pages: 3
...Running Head: Psychological and Motivational Factors Involved with Obedience Psychological and Motivational Factors Involved with Obedience Crimes The dynamics of obedience have been researched for decades in an attempt to explain what causes humans to commit atrocious acts such as the Holocaust and why crimes of obedience are so prevalent in society. Are all people capable of committing crimes of obedience given the right situation? Is there a certain disposition or combination of personality traits that leads to crimes of obedience? Situations are unique and dispositions vary; attempting to distinguish what causes these occurrences is a complex task that has been the subject of numerous studies, yet no concrete answers are found. Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments ignited the flame of a subject that, instead of diminishing over time and becoming obsolete as a result of improved methods and new ideologies, has remained at the forefront of social and behavioral psychology. Modern research faces the critical challenge of attempting to study obedience under much more restrictive guidelines than previous studies; the results that are produced can only hope to shed light on one component of obedience and use other studies to synthesize a more complete explanation. The predecessor to all of this modern research was the Milgram obedience experiment and all of its variations. It has remained a fixture of social psychology for so long for several reasons: the...
Words: 3044 - Pages: 13
...under Dr. Kohlberg’s Moral stages of development. Under the description of the six levels of development one can easily identify Thomas More as an individual who has transcended to the 6th and final level of morality as defined by Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Through an analysis of each individual level this paper will identify how, using textual references, Thomas More has transcended beyond each level of moral development, concluding with an analysis on specifically how one can identify Thomas More as an individual that has reached the final stage of Moral Development as defined by Kohlberg. Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation At the preconventional level, the concept of morality based on obedience and punishment orientation is not uncommon in an era ruled by monarchs, and an unequal distribution of power and influence. Most characters, Cromwell, Rich, and even Norfolk included – are individuals who obey rules(conform) to avoid punishment deferring to a supposed superior power. Thomas More however, has transcended beyond this level of morality (while many have not), not only by his actions but by the admissions of others as well. “You wouldn’t find him easy to frighten! You’ve mistaken your man this time! He doesn’t know how to be frightened” (Bolt 46) It is in this admission of Rich, the reader is first exposed to the fact, which holds true throughout the course of the play, that Thomas More is not a man who will defer his morals out of fear of punishment...
Words: 1602 - Pages: 7
...Third Paper: Analysis Obedience and disobedience to the authority has always been a favorite topic of psychologists and researchers. Stanley Milgram’s experiments shows that people are more often to submit themselves toward authority as compared to the people who disobey. According to Milgram, the pillars or support of the society is being threatened by disobedience. On the contrary, Erich Fromm rejects the theory of “obedience is a virtue and that disobedience is a vice”(621). Human history has formed by an act of disobedience by Adam and Eve, who were living in heaven obediently but a little act of disobedience changed everything. Fromm claims that their act of disobedience opened their eyes. After disobedience, man created his own heaven. Acts of disobedience evolved and changed by time. Milgram’s and Fromm’s theories are opposite to each other, one supports obedience and other doesn’t....
Words: 843 - Pages: 4
...PART I. Validity and Reliability Max score part I: 2 pts A lecturer has designed an exam about research methodology to measure and test the knowledge of third-years students about the design and quality of research. What is the problem with the following situations. Discuss for the following questions whether this is a reliability problem and/or a validity problem. In the case of the latter give the type of validity problem and EXPLAIN BRIEFLY. 1. Some students had too little time to do their exam and answered their questions too superficially. (1/2 pt) 2. One of the questions was ambiguous. It could be referring to the contents of the subject, but also to the contents of another subject. (1/2 pt) 3. Only a small portion of the content was checked in the exam. (1/2 pt) 4. The exam takes place within two hours. The design of a research usually takes weeks. The exam can therefore not really test the knowledge of research design as the two contexts fundamentally do not match PART II: Milgram’s study: 8 pts During the lectures we have looked at Milgram’s famous study. What we have seen there was a later version from the original. In the original version the subject could not hear the “learner”, just the pounding on the wall. Included you will find the larger part of the paper describing the original experiment1. The paper is mostly a concise description of the research setting. Obviously, it should help that you have watched the video, since it will allow you to understand the...
Words: 5968 - Pages: 24
...Criminology (Moral Development) Name: Institution Affiliation: The Stages of Kohlberg's moral development theory Kohlberg's moral theory of development is based on the Piaget's theories, and it measures reasoning more than the actual conclusion. It includes five stages of development. The first one is obedience and punishment stage whereby kids view rules as external, they are self-centered, and they avoid punishments. The second stage is Instrumental hedonism whereby the reasoning is self-centered, but they can be able to recognize other people's interests. It gets followed by good boy or girl stage where kids avoid rejection by doing what pleases other people so as to be termed as good. The fourth stage is a stage of authority and social order. At this stage, kids avoid rejection by the highly respectable authorities and hence they try to follow societal rules. Social contract is the fifth stage, and the human have respect for the society since they understand that laws are a contract between a human and society. Finally, there is a universal ethical principle whereby the moral reasoning is determined by selected principles that are consisted and might overrule the rules of the society. Moral development approach versus social learning approach to understanding crime The social learning approach argues that people engage in crime because of associating with those who engage in crime. It argues that the behavior is reinforced to them. On the other hand, the moral development...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
...The Heinz Dilemma The Heinz Dilemma was created by Lawrence Kohlberg to help identify moral development, that are stories of moral dilemmas about a man named Heinz who was from Europe. (McLeod, 2013)These theories extended Piaget's, John Dewey's, and James Mark Baldwin's research of children's moral development. (Barger, 2000)“These men had emphasized that human beings develop philosophically and psychologically in a progressive fashion.” (Barger, 2000) So with the combination of Piaget's theories and his own dilemma ideas, Kohlberg came up with the Heinz Dilemma. (McLeod, 2013) In the Heinz Dilemma there are six stages of moral behavior and how the individual justifies their behavior. The three stages broken down by two per stage making...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...Political Obligation First published Tue Apr 17, 2007; substantive revision Fri Apr 30, 2010 To have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of one's country or state. On that point there is almost complete agreement among political philosophers. But how does one acquire such an obligation, and how many people have really done what is necessary to acquire it? Or is political obligation more a matter of being than of doing — that is, of simply being a member of the country or state in question? To those questions many answers have been given, and none now commands widespread assent. Indeed, a number of contemporary political philosophers deny that a satisfactory theory of political obligation either has been or can be devised. Others, however, continue to believe that there is a solution to what is commonly called “the problem of political obligation,” and they are presently engaged in lively debate not only with the skeptics but also with one another on the question of which theory, if any, provides the solution to the problem. Whether political obligation is the central or fundamental problem of political philosophy, as some have maintained (e.g., McPherson), may well be doubted. There is no doubt, however, that the history of political thought is replete with attempts to provide a satisfactory account of political obligation, from the time of Socrates to the present. These attempts have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, but they have...
Words: 12818 - Pages: 52
...ANTIGONE Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first. The play expands on the Theban legend that predated it and picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends. This play is based on the life story of Antigone, the daughter of Oeudipe and Jocaste. It is a legend of her sacrifice for her loved ones, her believes and her honour. Antigone’s brother Polynice had betrayed his country and died during the war. Creon, the king of Thebes had refused to give him a burial. Antigone is outraged by this decision and goes as far as sacrificing her life, to give her brother a burial he deserves. Even law of the king does not stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Antigone is the tragic heroine of the play and this play revolves around her struggle against the autocratic laws of the state. Even she manages to give Polynice a rightful burial but, this burial costs Antigone her life. SYNOPSIS In the beginning of the play, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has decided that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices will be in public shame. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices...
Words: 2726 - Pages: 11
...One of the main ethical dilemmas that a store manager working for Wal-Mart might be faced with is a conflict of interest. He/she has been placed into a situation where there is no right or wrong answer, but rather a right, and right answer. Does he choose the role of being a good manager, and risk the managerial position? Or does he act upon the “unethical” commands of his superiors in favor of keeping his job? Three underlying elements further complicating his decision to make ethical choices are discussed in this essay. These are identified as self interest, greed, and obedience to authority, and will be discussed using Ghillyer’s three-step process of analyzing the consequences, analyzing the actions, and making a decision where the ethical dilemma can be resolved, or at least diminished. Self interest could have been a contributing factor to his decision making, which resulted in a class-action lawsuit, costing the company $50 million. Self interest can be categorized under one of the three ethical theories, virtuous ethics, which places its value in living life according to the commitment to the achievement of a clear ideal. For example, “What sort of person would I like to become?” An ideal goal for the manager could be to provide a shelter, clothing, and food for himself and/or his family. These are the basic innate impulses or drives in human beings, that explain the well known evolutionary theory of Survival of the Fittest. In the Wal-Mart example, this is demonstrated...
Words: 1394 - Pages: 6
...phone under the instruction of an authority figure? Would he still have gone through the same thinking...
Words: 1163 - Pages: 5
... Abstract Ethics and morals are used instead of each other in everyday life. However, there are some differences between these two expressions. Those who think that ethics is different than morals argue that ethics is more universal compared to morals. While moral is a national concept, ethics is considered to be a universal notion. It is observed that discussions on ethics in the public administration have been increasing in the world since 1970’s. Although corruption in the political-bureaucratic system has been considered to be a characteristic of underdeveloped countries, certain problems observed in the public administration sector of some western countries in 1970’s drew the attention of the public opinion and excited debates on ethics. The notion of ethics in the public administration as it is in the West has been drawing more attention in Turkey in recent years. The legislation regarding ethical infrastructure in the Turkish Public administration has been scattered until 2004. In this article, the developments of ethical issues are explained in legal framework and also, different approaches in military from different countries are compared. Comments are made on the differences and similarities of “codes of ethics” and “moral values”. Key Words: Business Ethics, Codes, Military, Morals, Public Administration. Introduction While ethical and moral are synonyms in most dictionaries, “ethics” and “morals” are differentiated by common...
Words: 7385 - Pages: 30