Obedience » What is Obedience?

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

The psychological definition of obedience
Key features that distinguish obedience from other social influences
Milgram's groundbreaking research on obedience
Factors that affect levels of obedience
Real-world examples and applications
The difference between obedience, compliance and conformity

Introduction to Obedience

Obedience is something we all experience throughout our lives - from following our parents' rules as children to obeying traffic laws as adults. But what exactly is obedience from a psychological perspective and why do humans so readily follow orders, sometimes even when those orders conflict with their personal values?

Key Definitions:

Obedience: A form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from another person in a position of authority.
Authority figure: A person who has legitimate power or status that gives them the right to issue commands to others.
Legitimate authority: Power that is recognised as rightful or proper by those who are subject to it.

💬 What Makes Obedience Different?

Obedience involves a clear power difference between the person giving orders and the person following them. Unlike other forms of social influence, obedience requires a direct command from an authority figure. The person obeying recognises the authority figure's right to make the request and feels obligated to comply.

👀 Why Study Obedience?

Understanding obedience helps explain how ordinary people can sometimes commit harmful acts when ordered to do so. It's crucial for understanding historical events like the Holocaust, where many people claimed they were "just following orders." Studying obedience also helps us recognise when blind obedience might lead to negative outcomes.

Distinguishing Obedience from Other Social Influences

To fully understand obedience, we need to see how it differs from other types of social influence you'll study in your GCSE Psychology course:

👉 Obedience

Following direct orders from an authority figure

Example: A soldier following a commander's orders

👍 Compliance

Changing behaviour in response to a request (not an order)

Example: Agreeing to sign a petition when asked

👥 Conformity

Changing behaviour to match a social group

Example: Wearing similar clothes to your friends

Milgram's Obedience Study

The most famous research on obedience was conducted by Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s. His experiments revealed shocking findings about human willingness to obey authority, even when it meant potentially harming another person.

Case Study Focus: Milgram's Experiment (1963)

Background: After World War II, many Nazis claimed they were "just following orders" when committing atrocities. Milgram wanted to see if ordinary Americans would obey harmful orders.

Method: Participants were told they were taking part in a study on learning and memory. They were instructed to deliver electric shocks to a "learner" (actually an actor) when they gave wrong answers, with voltage increasing for each mistake.

Key findings: 65% of participants continued to the maximum 450-volt shock, despite hearing cries of pain from the learner. This shocked Milgram and the psychology community, as most people had predicted very few would go all the way.

Significance: This study demonstrated that ordinary people can obey destructive orders when they come from a perceived legitimate authority figure.

Factors That Affect Obedience

Milgram and subsequent researchers identified several factors that influence how likely people are to obey authority:

📈 Factors That Increase Obedience

Legitimate authority: People are more likely to obey those with recognised authority (uniforms, titles, expertise)
Gradual progression: Starting with small requests that gradually become more extreme
Institutional setting: Official locations (laboratories, hospitals) increase obedience
Diffusion of responsibility: When responsibility is shared or placed on the authority figure
Distance from victim: Less visible or more distant victims are easier to harm

📉 Factors That Decrease Obedience

Proximity to victim: Seeing or hearing the victim's suffering
Presence of disobedient others: Witnessing others refuse to obey
Absence of authority figure: When the authority figure isn't physically present
Questioning legitimacy: When the authority's right to give orders is challenged
Personal responsibility: Being reminded of personal responsibility for actions

Real-World Applications

Understanding obedience has important applications in many areas of society:

Positive Applications of Obedience

Not all obedience is harmful. Society functions because people generally obey laws, follow safety guidelines and respect legitimate authority. Consider these examples:

Healthcare: Patients following doctors' instructions for medication
Education: Students following classroom rules that create a good learning environment
Emergency situations: People following evacuation orders during natural disasters
Traffic management: Drivers obeying road rules to prevent accidents

Dangers of Blind Obedience

However, history has shown that unquestioning obedience can lead to terrible outcomes:

Historical atrocities: The Holocaust, where many perpetrators claimed they were "just following orders"
My Lai Massacre: American soldiers following orders to kill Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam War
Abu Ghraib prison abuse: Guards following instructions that led to prisoner mistreatment

Ethical Considerations in Obedience Research

Milgram's research raised serious ethical concerns about psychological experiments. Participants experienced extreme stress and weren't fully informed about the study's true nature. Today, similar research would need to follow much stricter ethical guidelines, including:

Full informed consent
Right to withdraw at any time
Protection from psychological harm
Thorough debriefing

These ethical standards help protect participants while still allowing important research to be conducted.

Developing Critical Thinking About Obedience

As you study obedience, it's important to develop your own critical thinking about when obedience is appropriate and when it should be questioned:

🤔 Questions to Ask About Authority

Is this a legitimate authority figure in this situation?
What are their qualifications or right to give these orders?
Do they have my best interests in mind?
Are their orders consistent with broader ethical principles?

💡 Balancing Obedience and Personal Ethics

Society needs a certain level of obedience to function, but individuals also need to maintain their moral compass. Finding this balance means:

Respecting legitimate authority while being willing to question harmful orders
Understanding that personal responsibility remains even when following orders
Recognising situations where disobedience may be the ethical choice

Summary: Key Points About Obedience

Obedience is following direct orders from an authority figure
It differs from compliance (responding to requests) and conformity (matching group behaviour)
Milgram's research showed that ordinary people can obey harmful orders from authority figures
Multiple factors influence obedience levels, including authority legitimacy, proximity to victims and institutional settings
Obedience has both positive applications (following safety rules) and dangerous potential (blind obedience to harmful orders)
Developing critical thinking about authority helps balance necessary obedience with personal ethics

🧠 Test Your Knowledge!