What did Milgram’s findings suggest about the relationship between authority and individual actions?

Milgram’s findings highlight that authority figures have a significant influence on individuals' actions, particularly in stressful or ambiguous situations. His experiments demonstrated that participants were willing to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks to another person when prompted by an authoritative figure. This reveals that individuals may subordinate their personal morals and ethical considerations to the demands of authority, suggesting that an environment where an authority figure commands can lead to compliance, even at the expense of their own values.

The results underscored a troubling aspect of human behavior: that people can act in ways they might otherwise find reprehensible when directed by a legitimate authority. This alignment with authority shapes behavior and can lead to severe consequences, thus emphasizing the role of authority in dictating individual actions. This understanding helps in comprehending various social dynamics, including the mechanisms behind conformity, obedience, and even complicity in harmful practices in societal structures.