Within certain communities that contain a hierarchal structure, most notably the military, the existence of an authoritative figure has a unique effect on behavior. Some scientists suggest that the coercive effects of following orders shifts the agency of responsibility onto a superior, allowing for a slippery slope of questionable behavior to take place. Many individuals throughout history have pointed to obeying orders as a means for exonerating them of responsibility for anything from robbery to war crimes. The question of where to place blame is an ongoing debate: if one was to investigate the chain of command, would it always shift back all the way to the head honcho only? Does that absolve everyone beneath he or she of any wrongdoing? It may be tough to find a balance of explaining behavior while not condoning it, something behavior analysis has found common ground on. However, the debate still stands: under immense pressure, can a common person or a soldier be expected to make the “right” decision always?

Links for Today:

https://www.apa.org/research/action/order

https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/cc-9th-reading-vocab/x73a76fccbaf2a246:cc-9th-social-psychology/x73a76fccbaf2a246:reading-for-understanding-informational-text/v/milgram-experiment-on-obedience

https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-11-what-shall-be-done-with-the-war-criminals-(1944)/are-superior-orders-a-legitimate-defense

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wsu-sandbox/chapter/conformity-compliance-and-obedience/

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-obedience-2795894

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nazi-s-defense-of-just-following-orders-plays-out-in-the-mind/

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Recommendations

Abraham: Caste: Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653196/caste-oprahs-book-club-by-isabel-wilkerson/)

Shane: The Nazi Hunters by Neil Bascomb (http://www.scholastic.ca/books/view/the-nazi-hunters)

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