1. Obedience and Power MAR 3503 February 21, 2012

2. Milgram, 1965

3. More on Milgram Other variations: – No response from learner = more obedience – Bridgeport office = less obedience, but not much – Learner in room = less obedience, but not much – Place learner’s hand on shock plate = less obedience – Second, objecting experimenter = much less obedience

4. More on Milgram Not blind obedience… But ineffective disobedience Incredibly unhappy with procedure—nervous laughter, protests, crying Experimenter stonewalled them, gave only four responses, left no channel for escape – Wouldn’t take back money, which gave feeling of obligation – Objecting experimenter leaves an out, most take it

5. Slippery slope Participants started at 15 volts and inched up Very little difference between 100 and 115 volts – People start quitting after 285, when the learner stops responding Similar process in 1930s Germany— Nuremburg laws started small (boycott) and progressed to citizenship laws, and worse—at what point do you protest?

6. Obedience in the real world “The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal.”

7. Obedience in the real world Hofling et al., 1966 21 out of 22 nurses attempted to administer a lethal dose of a medication on the orders of a doctor they had never met

8. Power …Is defined by two attributes: – The ability to control one’s own outcomes and those of others – The freedom to act We saw power in the form of authority in the Milgram experiment – Power that derives from institutionalized roles or arrangements

9. Power Businesses rely on hierarchies, so that there are layers of power within the organization

10. Power It turns out that being in a position of power over others changes the way that we think – It makes us less able to empathize and express compassion – It makes us less able to take other people’s perspectives – It makes us more likely to cheat – It makes us more optimistic and more likely to make risky choices – It makes us more likely to act, period

11. Power and compassion van Kleef et al., 2008

12. Perspective taking Galinsky et al., 2006

13. Power and cheating Lammers et al., 2011

14. Power and risk Anderson & Galinsky, 2006

15. Power and risk Anderson & Galinsky, 2006

16. Power and action

17. Power And a couple of good things: – It elicits stewardship – It leads people to think abstractly, about bigger picture issues

18. Power and stewardship Wade-Benzoni et al., 2008

19. Power and abstraction

20. Status Status can determine our power within a group – Status is a result of differences in respect and prominence Keltner et al., 1998

21. Status and consumption Conspicuous consumption is often used to express status Sadalla & Krull (1995) found that many behaviors that can help preserve the environment as well as save money are seen as low class and unattractive – Drying clothes on a clothesline – Riding the bus – Taking recyclables to a recycling center Creates another barrier to responsible consumption— how can we change views about these behaviors?

22. Summary Milgram demonstrated that normal people can be made to do terrible things – They tried to disobey, but couldn’t – Their obedience was a slippery slope—when do you say no? The experimenter in Milgram’s study had high levels of power – Part of this was due to his status as a scientist – We try to maintain status in part to retain power

23. Next time… Exam #1 Review!