A comprehensive exploration of social influence theory psychology and obedience to authority psychology, focusing on Milgram's groundbreaking experiments and subsequent research. The studies demonstrate how individuals respond to authority figures and social pressure, with particular emphasis on the agentic shift phenomenon and various experimental variations.
- Social Impact Theory explains how social influence increases with the number of influencers, their strength, and immediacy
- Milgram's obedience experiments revealed that 65% of participants continued to maximum voltage levels
- Burger's partial replication showed similar results decades later, suggesting consistent human behavior patterns
- Various experimental variations, including telephone conditions and ordinary man scenarios, demonstrated different obedience levels
- The concept of agentic state explains how people transition from autonomous decision-making to following authority
