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Understanding behavior in the Milgram obedience experiment

The role of personality, situations, and their interactions

Bibliographic Data

ID6198692
AuthorsThomas Bla, Thomas Blass (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, corresponding author)
Year1991
Volume60
Issue3
Pages398-413
Publication date1991-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/0022-3514.60.3.398
OpenAlexW2000386450
LanguageEN
Citations received49
References cited70

Among the far-reaching implications that have been drawn from Milgram's obedience research is that situations powerfully override personal dispositions as determinants of social behavior. A focused review of the relevant research on the Milgram paradigm reveals that the evidence on situational determinants of obedience is less clear than is generally recognized; contrary to the commonly held view, personality measures can predict obedience; another kind of dispositional variable, enduring beliefs, is also implicated in the obedience process and approaches suggested by interactionist perspectives can provide some integration of the literature. The article concludes with a discussion of the broader inferences about obedience and social behavior called for by this review and the enduring significance of Milgram's obedience research

Milgram experiment · Obedience · Personality · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Psychology · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment

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Unique citing works49
Citations per year1,58
Citation span1995 - 2026 (32)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 47
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