The results shocked the scientific community. 62.5% of participant, more or less two in three continued giving shocks up to the maximum of 450 volts.

It was not sadism or lack of concern on the part of the Participant. Participants displayed a variety of anxious behaviors. Some twitched; others laughed hysterically or verbally attacked the experimenter. They sweated, stuttered, trembled, groaned, bit their lips and dug their nails into their skin. Three participants had full blown, uncontrollable seizures.

It was partly due to the effects, at the time and after the research, on Participants that research like this isn’t carried out today. Many Participants struggled as they realized the behavior they were capable of.

This experiment has been conducted all over the world many times to demonstrate its reliability. Some twists have been attempted to explain why participants are so obedient.

Some claimed that because the location of the experiments was Yale University this afforded greater authority to the experimenter. Even when conducted from a small and rundown office the obedience rate was still 47.5%. Perhaps the setting played a part for some participants, but there is still some deeper underlying dynamic.

When the participant was in the same room the compliance rate who continued shocking right up to the end dropped to 40%. A sizeable number continued even when rather than flicking a switch the teacher had to actually place the learner’s hand on to the plate giving the shock.

When other teachers (assistants of Milgram) were present and refused to continue after a certain point compliance reduced to just 10%.

When another person was flicking the switches obedience rose to 92.5%.

When the experimenter left the room obedience dropped to just 20.5%. Many only pretended to press the buttons or used a lower voltage.

What obedience and conformity both share said Milgram was the

This is key to understanding how to improve the quality of your life. When you allow another to influence you, you have given control of your life away. Perhaps not consciously, but every decision you take or avoid taking shapes your life.

Because of the way our Operating System is created… unless we take the time to revisit the beliefs we created, or accepted, as we developed our Operating System… we are living out the beliefs of other people.

In this sense we are mentally and spiritually cloning. The purpose of our lives can be found not in our sameness, but in our uniqueness.

Our uniqueness brings something new to the world. Our sameness adds no value and so we doubt our value.

We conform and obey in order to please and pacify others. We need to belong to the pack and think that if others knew what we were really like… no one would want to know us. This isn’t necessarily a conscious thought, but if you analyse it right down to the root of conformity, it is what you’ll find.

Because of this we strive to put up an image that fits in. Of being just one of the crowd.

Have you ever been waiting anxiously for an test result, where you could have got anything from top mark to failure… but to stop the nail-biting, you would willingly have given up your chance for a top grade – to ensure a pass mark?

Next: Am I Normal?

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