Experimenter

In 1961, Stanley Milgram, a psychology professor at Yale University, designed an experiment that continues to provoke discussion today. Participants were led to believe they were delivering increasingly painful electric shocks to a stranger in an adjacent room, despite the man's pleas for mercy. The majority of subjects continued the experiment, administering what they thought were near-fatal shocks, simply because they were instructed to do so by an authority figure. The timing of the study, coinciding with the broadcast of the trial of Nazi official Adolf Eichmann in American homes, amplified its cultural and scientific impact. Milgram's work sparked both acclaim and controversy, with some hailing his insights into human obedience and others condemning him as a deceptive and manipulative figure. Throughout the backlash and praise, his wife, Sasha, remained steadfast in her support.