Milgrams Experiment Critique - Movie Review Example

The primary objective of Milgram's experiment was to determine the extent that people can go while following orders. The experiment involved three individuals; an experimenter, a trainer and a learner. The experimenter gave the trainer orders to send electric shocks to the learner. The aim was to determine how much voltage a teacher was willing to send to the learner and also how much voltage would the teacher send to the learner with an assurance of immunity.

Milgram observed that people would go to great extents to obey orders even though they were causing harm to other people. Results showed that all teachers reached 300 volts which were considered to be dangerous. Two-thirds of participants reached 450 volts which was considered to be severe. The results showed that people follow the orders of authoritative people without considering the consequences of their actions. People are willing to inflict maximum damages if they are pressured by the authorities.

The findings are important in analyzing the actions of individual perpetrators of violence. The findings explain that a perpetrator of violence may not be acting out of self-will but through pressure or an urge to satisfy the authorities. Moreover, the findings indicate that people fear the repercussions of their actions. However, they can go to extreme lengths if they are assured they will not be held responsible for their crimes.