This is a bit of old news but I keep seeing the Milgram shock study popping up in places like Slashdot, the Cato Institute blog, etc as though it was new and/or a surprising result. For those who don't know here is a summary:

     Milgram's study placed a test subject (you) into a situation where they were instructed by an authority figure to administer electric shocks of increasing intensity to another subject (actually an actor). The actor would play the part by twitching, screaming in pain, begging for stoppage, and eventually silence indicating death (mostly via pre-recorded audio).

     When the subject (you) would balk at continuing the test they would be given four verbal prompts to continue in increasing sternness. If they resisted all four exhortations, the experiment ended.

     The result? 65% of the subjects continued right to the bitter end administering 450 volt shocks o the actor. No one quit before 300 volts.

     One of the first things I learned about accident scene management was to take charge and sound like I knew what I was doing no matter what. This allows emergency responders to command obedience from people who would otherwise freeze up. Tell someone to "Get an ambulance!" in the right tone of voice and you just gained a very obedient follower for the duration of the incident.

     I am not sure why people find this difficult to believe. Perhaps they simply have never thought about the natural human response to authority, but the facts are that early humans who didn't take direction from tribe leaders wouldn't propagate at the success rates of those who took orders well. In fact groups with problems taking authoritarian direction would likely have died out en mass.

     Additionally the authority figure in the experiment was of limited charisma and very limited as far as motivational freedom goes (only allowed to use the 4 exhortations). I have written extensively in the past about my frighteningly charismatic friend: Vince Colangelo (Google for 'em... there are too many to link), and had Vince been the authority figure in this experiment I submit that the figure would be closer to 75% even within the experiment rules.

    Further if you allowed Vince 10 minutes of preparatory chat work with each subject and gave him the freedom to ad lib the verbal exhortations to action, I contend that the rate of completion would have topped 95%. Individual subjects may have hated Vince after the fact, but most would still have done what he asked.

    People crave the absolution of individual morale imperative that authoritarian figures can grant them. It isn't new or even surprising. Most find it much easier to do what you are told than to determine their own course. Most of you reading this are in the same boat no matter what you tell yourself...

    Just think how difficult your life would become if you actually broke all (or even many of) the rules like the rebel you think you are. Within days or weeks society's disciplinary measures would have you outcast from most of your friends and co-workers, unemployed, and on the way to prison. Rule following (even seemingly cruel and arbitrary ones) by citizens is the mechanism that allows human civilization. It shouldn't be shocking that it can be used in ways that are immoral or cruel.

     It should be even less surprising that charismatic people have done so quite successfully in the past. We like it when people are certain of themselves and we love it when they take it to heights that most of us don't reach in our daily lives. Therein lies the popularity of people both good and bad : Kennedy, Clinton, Truman, Stalin, Hitler, Gandhi ... the list goes one forever. There are Alphas ad there are the rest of us. We may have our alpha areas or moments, but the fact is that most of humanity is composed of followers and not commanders.