-[ Quoting William Elliot , to Dennis Menard ]-
 WE> These therapists have caused families to break up, grown children to
 WE> reject all family ties with the accused parents and in some cases,
 WE> precipitated legal prosecution.  Therapists, ministers, psychics,
 WE> they'll tell you if you stink and what to think.
Unfortunately, making "other people" responsible for all one's problems is
much easier than trying to take some responsibility for one's own problems,
and thinking for one's own self.  :(
 WE> ... Therapist = The rapist.
:)  I shouldn't laugh, but ... good one.
Ok, here is another little study, which I originally posted to Clarence
Hogan in August of 1997.  I happened to spot a reference to it in a message
from Friedrich Engels (a pseudonym, surely?) to Frank Masingill yesterday -
and thought I'd re-post for general interest.
-----
Okay, here's Stanley Milgram's research in easy, point form.  Keep in mind
that what prompted him was the question whether the blind obedience that was
so clearly exhibited by Hitler's followers, and which resulted in the WWII
holocaust, could be "possible" in the U.S.  He began with the pre-conception
that it could NOT happen in America.
Stan Milgram & Obedience
------------------------
Wanted to show that when people faced a choice between group pressures and
their core values, they would NOT conform or obey
Designed many experiments giving subjects a choice between following his
orders to harm another person, or refusing
The Experiment
--------------
Each (male) subject was asked to be a "teacher" to study the effects of
punishment on learning
Each was told that he would/MUST deliver electric shock to a "learner" (an
employee of Milgram) when learner gave incorrect response
Each met the learner, received a sample shock, then sat before a "shock box"
to deliver from 15 - 450 volts according to Milgram's "orders"
Many experiments done, varying distance of learner, distance of Milgram,
type of subject, etc.
Far more subjects followed Milgram's "orders" and increased the voltage to
maximum than Milgram expected or than psychiatrists predicted
The Result
----------
Predicted %                       Observed %                              .
---------------------------------|---------------------------------+      .
100  x                           |100   x   x                      |      .
 90                              | 90                              |      .
 80       x                      | 85           x                  |      .
 70                              | 80               x              |      .
 60                              | 70                   x          |      .
 50                              | 65                       x   x  |      .
 40                              | 60                              |      .
 30           x                  | 50                              |      .
 20                              | 40                              |      .
 15               x              | 30                              |      .
 10                              | 20                              |      .
 05                   x          | 10                              |      .
 01.5                     x      | 00                              |      .
 00                           x  | --                              |      .
 --  000 075 150 225 300 375 450 | --  000 075 150 225 300 375 450 | VOLTS.
Conclusion
----------
Social comparison and influence much more pervasive than Festinger had
assumed in his Theory of Social Comparison
This influence makes most of us quite prone to conformity
It also accounts for the tendencies of some people to harm others when they
are "just following orders"
-----
--
... Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat, though.
-=- Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
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