Behind the Shock Machine: The Untold Story of the Notorious Milgram Psychology Experiments

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In the summer of 1961, a group of Yale volunteers participated in a memory experiment led by psychologist Stanley Milgram. They were instructed to administer electric shocks to a man they had just met, unaware that he was an actor and the shocks were fake. The true aim was to test how far they would go under the influence of an authority figure. The shocking results revealed that many participants continued to administer shocks despite believing the man was in severe pain, drawing parallels to ordinary people's complicity in Nazi atrocities. In this exploration, psychologist Gina Perry uncovers the complex reality behind the experiment. Through interviews with original participants and extensive research in Yale's archives, she reveals that volunteers were not as obedient as previously thought; they faced intense pressure, and some left unaware of the deception. Many participants continue to grapple with the emotional aftermath of their actions. With dramatic transcripts of the tests, Perry humanizes the statistics and presents a gripping narrative of ambition and the profound impact of this controversial experiment on a generation.