By Neuroscience News
Psychological research is replete with intriguing insights into human behavior. One such insight comes from a group of researchers from Regensburg, Göttingen, and Würzburg, who examined the conflict that arises when obedience to authority challenges personal values.
What would you do if asked to grind live bugs in a coffee grinder? The researchers used this 'bug destruction task' to reveal the experience of obedient participants.
Obedience, in psychology, is the compliance to an authority's demands, even if they contradict personal norms. This dilemma was first illustrated in Stanley Milgram's 1960s experiment, highlighting the fascinating struggle between personal conflict and submission to authority.
In their experiment, the researchers tasked participants with the destruction of various objects, including live bugs. Findings show that more participants in the experimental group, where destruction was ordered, were willing to (supposedly) kill the bugs, experiencing increased arousal and discomfort.
The researchers didn't stop at merely identifying the conflict; they delved deeper into the resolution process. Measurements of skin conductance indicated heightened tension in obedient participants, while disobedient subjects showed no such increase.
Contrary to popular belief, obedient subjects didn't shy away from responsibility. They accepted accountability for their actions, debunking the theory that obedience arises from diffused or ambiguous responsibility.
The researchers offered a new hypothesis: people's inherent tendency to cooperate, even in subordinate roles, might explain obedience. Individuals wrestle with their moral obligation to living creatures on one hand and their commitment to the experimenter on the other.
People tend to stick to initial agreements, even at personal expense. However, the absence of defiance is not always a sign of free will. As this study reminds us, the labyrinth of human obedience is filled with twists and turns, and we are only just beginning to unravel it.