AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of “social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority.

Detailed explanation-2: -Obedience to authority is the tendency people have to try to please those in charge. Psychological evidence indicates that people tend to respect and follow those whom they perceive to have legitimate authority. This can lead to trouble if it causes people to fail to exercise their own independent ethical judgment.

Detailed explanation-3: -Obedience occurs when you are told to do something (authority), whereas conformity happens through social pressure (the norms of the majority). Obedience involves a hierarchy of power / status. Therefore, the person giving the order has a higher status than the person receiving the order.

Detailed explanation-4: -Examples of Obedience to Authority One example of obedience to authority in history was the tragic events that unfolded in Nazi Germany during World War II when Adolf Hitler ordered his subordinates to commit unspeakable atrocities against persons of the Jewish faith, people with disabilities, and other citizens.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Milgram experiment(s) on obedience to authority figures were a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram.