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a) Power of the situation
(i) Obedience is due to situational, rather than
personality variables
(ii) Obedience is high when obedience is first modeled
by a peer or when a participant acts as an
intermediary bystander
b) Data indicate situational control of behavior, rather than
individual differences in participants
c) Other reasons include normative and informational sources
of influence-people want to be liked and correct
d) In ambiguous situations, people rely on others for cues for
appropriate behavior
e) Participants were probably be confused about how to
disobey
f) Obedience to authority is ingrained in childhood-obey
authority without question
5. The Milgram experiments and You
a) Resisting situational forces requires both awareness and
acceptance of the fact that those forces can be powerful
enough to affect almost anyone
b) Even normal, well-meaning individuals are subject to
potential frailty in the presence of strong situational and
social forces
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C. The Psychology of Genocide and War
1. Ervin Staub suggests that this set of cultural and psychological forces
makes campaigns of terror possible:
a) The starting point is often severely difficult life conditions,
such as depression and political upheaval
b) Under conditions of difficulty, people intensify the ordinary
impulse to define in-groups and out-groups, creating
scapegoats
c) Because the scapegoat group is blamed for society’s ills, it
becomes easy to justify violence against them
d) The violence against the scapegoat group begins to justify
itself-, stopping the violence would mean admitting that the
violence had been wrong to begin with
2. Concepts and Images of the Enemy
a) When scapegoating does not lead to genocide, it may still
lead to the creation of enemies
b) Dehumanization, casting out-groups as animals, also helps
create images of the enemy
c) Why Will People Go to War?
(i) In modern times, countries rarely go to war with the
goal of domination or conquest. Rather, they come
to believe that they are protecting interests that are
important to their survival and identity
D. Peace Psychology
1. The Peace Psychology Division of the American Psychological
Association works to promote peace in the world
2. Forms of Leadership and Government
a) Early psychologists focused on understanding the nature of
the authoritarian personality behind the fascist mentality,
the effects of propaganda and persuasive communication,
and the impact of group atmosphere and leadership styles
on group members that developed during WW II
b) Leaders and authorities exert considerable power on group
behavior and on other people
c) Kurt Lewin investigated group dynamics, the ways in which
leaders directly influenced their followers and the ways in
which group processes changed the behavior of individuals
(i) Leadership styles
(a) Autocratic leaders: made all decisions and work
assignments, but did not participate in group
activities
(b) Democratic leaders: encouraged and assisted
group decision-making and planning
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(c) Laissez-faire leaders: allowed complete freedom,
with little leader participation
(ii) Results
(a) Autocratic leaders group members were
characterized by high levels of aggression and
greater hostility, were more demanding of
attention, were more likely to destroy their own
property, and displayed more scapegoating
behavior
(b) Democratic leaders group members worked the
most steadily and were most efficient, showed
highest levels of interest, motivation, and
originality; discontent was likely to be expressed
openly; and group loyalty increased
(c) Laissez-faire leaders group members were the
least efficient, did the least amount of work of
poorest quality, and goofed off
3. Fostering Contact to Facilitate Conflict Resolution
a) The main approach of resolving conflict is the same one
described for healing other types of prejudices. People must
be brought together in cooperative settings that can foster
mutual trust and shared goals
b) Interactive problem solving promises privacy and
confidentiality, as well as open analytic discussions. It also
encourages appropriate expectations
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Ask your class how they think that they would have behaved if they were participants in
the Milgram studies. Most students will respond that there is no way that they would
have shocked the helpless learner. Explain to them that if they persist in believing this,
they have missed a crucial lesson of social psychology: that “good” people are often no
different from “bad” people. The people are the same; it is the situation that is different.
Destructive behavior often results when normal people find themselves in powerful
situations. The situation causes behavior, not the internal characteristics of the
individual. The good members of your class cannot realistically expect that they would
behave differently in bad situations.
2. Have members of your class give examples of situations in which they felt pressure to
behave in ways that they felt inappropriate. How did they resolve the situation?