This week will not be a very long piece but I want to complete the two-parter on failed interventions we must not be doomed to repeat. Last week, I reviewed Zimbardo’s 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. This week I am reviewing another experiment: Stanley Milgram Shock Experiment.

Much like the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Milgram Shock Experiment proved that people will follow even harmful orders when instructed by accepted authority figures.

Last week, I referenced the Nuremberg defense of “only following orders” which was the rationale for Milgram’s experiments in 1961, a year after the trial of Adolf Eichmann. Milgram devised to investigate whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures, as this was a common explanation for the Nazi killings in World War II.

The study was designed to measure how far participants would go in obeying an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience.

This study included 40 males between 20 and 50 years, recruited through newspaper and direct mail ads, who believed they were participating in a Yale University memory study with each being paid $4.50 for participation.

The experiment involved delivering different degrees of shock treatment to participants by a blind draw. Read about the experiment: Stanley Milgram Shock Experiment.

Like the Stanford Experiment, participants were more obedient to authority figures, following orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of potentially causing harm to an innocent human being.

Participants were willing to harm someone if responsibility is taken away and passed on to someone else.

What do we learn about ourselves from these two studies that were implemented with ordinary, everyday citizens who turned into what we view as inhumane, unconscionable, animals? What do we learn from these studies about how we treat our troubled citizens, our youth, our marginalized?

What if we acknowledged the intricate tapestry of experiences that shape each individual. When we approach others with empathy, we open the door to deeper connections and foster an environment where vulnerability is met with compassion, reminding us that beneath every exterior lies a story worth hearing.

In a world quick to judge, understanding becomes a powerful tool for healing, growth and the creation of a more harmonious society.

Bob Kronick is professor emeritus University of Tennessee. Bob welcomes your comments or questions to rkronick@utk.edu.