Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments are among the most influential and controversial scientific studies ever conducted. The experiments are commonly understood to have shown how easily people can be led into harming another person, simply as a result of following orders. Recently, however, Milgram's studies have been subjected to a sustained critique and re-evaluation. This book draws on the vast stock of audio recordings from Milgram's experiments to reveal how these experiments can be understood as occasions for argumentation and rhetoric, rather than showing how passive subjects can be led into simply doing as they are told. In doing so, it reconsiders what we understand by 'obedience' and extends how social psychologists have understood rhetoric itself.
Stephen Gibson is a social psychologist based at York St John University. His research interests are in the areas of social influence, social identity, peace and conflict, citizenship and rhetorical/discursive psychology.
1. Introduction; 2. The obedience experiments; 3. Re-evaluating Milgram; 4. A rhetorical perspective; 5. From standardised procedure to flexible rhetoric; 6. From proximity to argumentation; 7. From passive agents to active rhetoricians; 8. From a physical to a rhetorical metaphor; 9. Conclusion.
'Stephen Gibson's superb book looks at social psychology's most famous experiment. By closely examining what actually occurred, Gibson shows that Milgram's obedience studies were not really about obedience. In focusing on Milgram, Gibson offers a sophisticated, original analysis of social psychology itself.' Michael Billig, Emeritus Professor, Loughborough University