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Why Do We Obey Authority? The Psychology of Obedience, Power & Personal Responsibility
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Why do humans obey authority? This episode explores the psychology of obedience through Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience experiments, examining authority, institutional legitimacy, gradual escalation, responsibility, proximity, social context, and personal judgment. It also examines the agentic state, engaged followership, Jerry Burger’s partial replication, and the ethics of obedience research. The episode asks when obedience is useful, when it becomes dangerous, and how we can practice conscious, discerning obedience without surrendering personal responsibility.