Read this document! You have no other choice! You've already started, so you need to finish. You have to keep reading! Well, if you've made it this far, you've obviously given in to orders and obeyed my authority. But why do people so readily do what they are told when they feel pressured? Did you at least think twice before not reading my article? (Probably not Ms. Ficca because you're obligated to note that, but that's not the point). It is human nature to desire to appear cooperative, even if it requires doing something they know is wrong. An experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s attempted to prove that obedience to authority trumped feelings of conscience. The participants in this experiment could be either “teachers” or “learners”. The teachers' job was to quiz the learners and give them a painful shock for each wrong answer. The intensity of the shock increased with each wrong answer. The problem was that the person running the experiment was sitting right next to the teacher, urging him to continue administering the shocks. Many people continued to listen to this authority figure, even when the learner was screaming in pain! The message from this experiment is that people tend to obey authority when they feel constrained, even if they know it is wrong. (Encina) The concept of obedience is also displayed in the Shakespearean play Macbeth. Macbeth is persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth, to murder King Duncan. Macbeth knows this is wrong and makes a feeble attempt to argue against her. Macbeth recognizes that Duncan is a humble king and a kind leader. He also knows that as a host, he must protect him and not harm him. “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject / Strong both against the act; then, a...... middle of paper ......r of a situation throughout history and currently today. Take the example of Nazi Germany. Hitler was able to persuade thousands of Germans to fight for his cause, a cause that many soldiers would have considered immoral if they had not been in the thick of the situation. (Encina) The desire to conform and be right is very powerful. When someone can convince another that it is okay to act a certain way and that person feels pressure and fear to conform, almost any action can seem justifiable in the eyes of the person. subordinate. In Macbeth's case, Macbeth was the subordinate, and the pressure from Lady Macbeth was too much to bear. Works Cited Encina, Gregorio Billikopf. “Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience to Authority.” The University of California. March 27, 2010. Gerrig, Richard and Zimbardo, Philip. Psychology and life. Boston: Pearson, 2005.