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The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments
Stanley Milgram revolutionized our understanding of human nature with his classic research on obedience to authority – but the obedience experiments form just a small part of an extraordinary wealth of ground-breaking research that made him one of the most important social psychologists of our times.
By the time the first edition of The Individual in a Social World appeared in 1977, Milgram had moved beyond obedience to other innovative research, such as the psychology of city life, the small world phenomenon (also known as ‘six degrees of separation’), mental maps of cities, the lost-letter technique, the familiar stranger, as well as a large-scale experiment on media influence, which is still unique to the present day. In 1992, a second, posthumous edition appeared containing additional articles which Milgram had written after the first edition.
This third, expanded edition of The Individual in a Social World combines articles that appeared in both of the earlier editions as well as previously uncollected material. Among the latter is, for example, an article in which Milgram provides a perspective on the Jonestown massacre and then uses it as a stepping stone for a ringing affirmation of the power of situational determinants of behavior. Another article, ‘The Social Meaning of Fanaticism,’ is almost uncanny in its relevance to our times, despite the fact that it was written several decades ago, as is his take on the potential impact of the Internet in ‘Network Love’. Stanley Milgram possessed a relentless curiosity about the hidden workings of our social world, which he tried to make visible through his experiments and think pieces brought together in this unique, revealing and engaging book – a must-read for anyone interested in social psychology.
By the time the first edition of The Individual in a Social World appeared in 1977, Milgram had moved beyond obedience to other innovative research, such as the psychology of city life, the small world phenomenon (also known as ‘six degrees of separation’), mental maps of cities, the lost-letter technique, the familiar stranger, as well as a large-scale experiment on media influence, which is still unique to the present day. In 1992, a second, posthumous edition appeared containing additional articles which Milgram had written after the first edition.
This third, expanded edition of The Individual in a Social World combines articles that appeared in both of the earlier editions as well as previously uncollected material. Among the latter is, for example, an article in which Milgram provides a perspective on the Jonestown massacre and then uses it as a stepping stone for a ringing affirmation of the power of situational determinants of behavior. Another article, ‘The Social Meaning of Fanaticism,’ is almost uncanny in its relevance to our times, despite the fact that it was written several decades ago, as is his take on the potential impact of the Internet in ‘Network Love’. Stanley Milgram possessed a relentless curiosity about the hidden workings of our social world, which he tried to make visible through his experiments and think pieces brought together in this unique, revealing and engaging book – a must-read for anyone interested in social psychology.
434 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Stanley Milgram
10 books157 followersDr. Stanley Milgram (Ph.D., Harvard University, Social Psychology, 1960) spent most of his career as a professor of psychology at City University of New York Graduate Center. While at Harvard, he conducted the small-world experiment (the source of the "six degrees of separation" concept); at Yale, he conducted the "Milgram experiment" on obedience to authority. He also introduced the concept of "familiar strangers."
He took a psychology course as an undergraduate at Queens College, New York, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in political science in 1954. He applied to a Ph.D. program in social psychology at Harvard University and was initially rejected due to lack of psychology background; he was accepted in 1954 after taking six courses in psychology. Most likely because of his controversial Milgram Experiment, Milgram was denied tenure at Harvard after becoming an assistant professor there, but instead accepted an offer to become a tenured full professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (Blass, 2004).
Milgram influenced later psychologists such as Alan C. Elms, who was his first graduate assistant on the obedience experiment.
He took a psychology course as an undergraduate at Queens College, New York, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in political science in 1954. He applied to a Ph.D. program in social psychology at Harvard University and was initially rejected due to lack of psychology background; he was accepted in 1954 after taking six courses in psychology. Most likely because of his controversial Milgram Experiment, Milgram was denied tenure at Harvard after becoming an assistant professor there, but instead accepted an offer to become a tenured full professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (Blass, 2004).
Milgram influenced later psychologists such as Alan C. Elms, who was his first graduate assistant on the obedience experiment.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 13, 2020
This book is an interesting but rather dated series of essays, interviews and summary articles of Milgram's work. I was interested, like most people, I would have thought, in his famous experiments on obedience in hierarchical social situations, the Yale/Bridport electric shock experiments, the results of which, I think still have relevance for us today. In fact Milgram foresaw this wondering "what government, with its vastly greater authority and prestige, can command of its subjects".
For the general reader I don't think this book gives you much more than reading up about the experiments on WIKIPEDIA or suchlike. Milgram does, however, come across as an inventive, lucid and reflective social scientist and author. He worked in era unburdened by, often, timid ethical oversight (and I'm not saying that ethical approval is not needed, to be clear) and able to do interesting experiments with broad social significance and interest that endures.
For the general reader I don't think this book gives you much more than reading up about the experiments on WIKIPEDIA or suchlike. Milgram does, however, come across as an inventive, lucid and reflective social scientist and author. He worked in era unburdened by, often, timid ethical oversight (and I'm not saying that ethical approval is not needed, to be clear) and able to do interesting experiments with broad social significance and interest that endures.
July 31, 2022
Everything old is new again; the essays in this collection are particularly timely for today. We may laugh and how startling Milgram found photography or cyranoids and the technology that supports them, but the writing serves as a clear, non-negotiable benchmark to reflect on how much society has "advanced" since his observations. Moreover, the work on group think, social pressures, influence of television, and more could not be more relevant than they are to day as we struggle with social division.
October 7, 2017
Buku ini secara ajaib menjadi rujukan mata kuliah "baru" di Psikologi UI: Psikologi Perkotaan (Urban). Lebih jauh, justru saya merasa agak terharu ketika membaca kata pengantar Philip Zimbardo di buku ini. Sial, bagaimana mungkin dua raksasa psikologi sosial ini ternyata adalah teman kuliah. Membayangkan bagaimana mereka dahulu menyelesaikan bachelornya dan pelan-pelan menabalkan diri sebagai orang-orang yang akan diingat, tentu akan menjadi sangat menyenangkan jika itu difilmkan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews