PSYC 215 Lecture Notes - The Selfish Gene, Chat Room, Murder Of Kitty Genovese
16 May 2012
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Milgram then looked at the parameters of obedience. He found that we do not obey all of the time. Emotional distance is a factor (if he is right next to you, you will deliver less shock). As for the legitimacy of the authority, if the person giving the order is just another participant, they will not have as much say. Also, the degree to which other people obeyed commands impacted how much people will be following orders. All having to do with things that guide our behaviour. There is a lot of work done on understanding why people act to the detriment to themselves to help others. In a society, you want to maximize this type of phenomenon. There is a lot of controversy about why this happens. The controversy is whether you are really acting for someone else"s well being, or if there is something in it for yourself.
