A recent study from PsychTests.com reveals that people who reluctantly but willingly do what they are told are more likely to struggle with confidence issues, to be uncomfortable expressing their feelings, and to crave approval.
Of the 40 male participants who took part in the famous (or infamous) Milgram obedience study, 65% reached the maximum threshold of 450 volts. Basically, more than half of the participants agreed to follow the experimenter’s order to administer a painful – albeit fake – electric shock to an actor who could be heard screaming in pain and crying in an adjacent room.
Although this study has been extensively disparaged and would be considered unethical by today’s standards, it does beg the question: What is the personality profile of people who unquestionably follow orders they disagree with? Researchers at PsychTests attempted to shed some light on this pattern.
Analyzing data collected from 12,259 people who took the Emotional Intelligence Test, PsychTests’ researchers examined the personality profile of people who follow orders even when they disagree with them (“Compliers”) and those who don’t (“Defiers”). Here’s what their analysis revealed:
“When we look at the results of this study in light of the protests in response to COVID-19 measures, it’s understandable why some people felt the need to complain, especially when restrictions became stricter,” explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests. “When you take people’s freedoms away without fully explaining – or understanding – why you’re doing it, you’re going to get backlash. This isn’t to say that people should routinely rebel against orders. Both extremes – blind obedience and stubborn disobedience – are problematic, in your personal and professional life. However, if you feel uncomfortable doing what a manager or authority tells you because deep down your gut is telling you it’s wrong, it’s better to speak up. Yes, it might get you in trouble, but imagine how you will feel about yourself if you followed orders in spite of your misgivings? You wouldn’t hate the other person for forcing you, you’d struggle with your own conscience. Many people don’t know that some of the participants in the Milgram study were not brought up to speed after it concluded. So they never knew that the shocks they administered were actually fake, or that the victim was an actor. Can you imagine the regret and guilt they may have carried with them for the rest of their lives?”
About PsychTests AIM Inc.
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists and coaches, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com).
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release.
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