Milgram, Method and Morality

In Milgram's experiments, subjects were induced to inflict what they believed to be electric shocks in obedience to a man in a white coat. This suggests that many can be persuaded to torture, and perhaps kill, another person simply on the say-so of an authority figure. But the experiments have been attacked on methodological, moral and methodologico-moral grounds. Patten argues that the subjects probably were not taken in by the charade; Bok argues that lies should not be used in research; and Patten insists that any excuse for Milgram's conduct can be adapted on behalf of his subjects. (Either he was wrong to conduct the experiments or they do not establish the phenomenon of immoral obedience). We argue that the subjects were indeed taken in, that lies (though usually wrong) were in this case legitimate, and that there were excuses available to Milgram which were not available to his subjects. So far from 'disrespecting'his subjects, Milgram enhanced their autonomy as rational agents. We concede however that it might be right to prohibit what it was right to do. [1]     

The Use of Deception as a Compliance-Gaining Strategy

This study argues that the persuasive message behaviors of truthful and deceptive communicators may differ strategically. Participants (N = 283) responded to three interpersonally oriented persuasive situations and wrote out instances of compliance-gaining messages. Approximately half the respondents were required to use deception in their persuasive messages. A comparison of truthful and deceptive compliance-gaining messages revealed significant differences in the types of persuasive messages generated: Truthful persuaders composed messages involving positive and negative sanctions; deceptive persuaders composed messages based on rationale or explanation.     

BUOYS FOR ECCENTRIC EXISTENCE

David Kelsey's Eccentric Existence argues that what we need is a “systematically unsystematic” account of human existence, a set of “buoys” or non‐negotiable convictions articulated on the basis of canonical Scriptures, leaving abundant room for philosophers and other non‐theologians to make their contributions. Embodied persons themselves/ourselves are constituted in three irreducibly complex canonically biblical narratives as creatures, reconciled, and consummated—although it is not always clear what aspects of these narratives are “buoys” and which are more negotiable. The God who constitutes embodied persons is the triune God of Nicaea (like a triple helix) who operates as one but in irreducibly distinct ways as Father and Son and Spirit—and cannot be mere instrument of human purposes. Kelsey intentionally leaves a number of Trinitarian and Christological questions open for further treatment, creating remarkable challenges for traditionalists and modernists alike.     

Self-Inference and the Foot-in-the-Door Technique Quantity of Behavior and Attitudinal Mediation

The purpose of this investigation was to test two aspects of the self-perception theory account of the foot-in-the-door (FITD) phenomenon. The first aspect tested was the claim that the greater the quantity of behavior associated with the initial request, the greater the likelihood of compliance with the later request. Quantity of behavior was operation-alized as (a) request size and (b) active versus passive execution, that is, whether the target person actually carried out the request or simply agreed to do so. The second aspect tested was the claim that changes in self-perception mediate the FITD effect. A field experiment was conducted to address these concerns. The results showed that a self-inference explanation is viable; however, a strict self-perception account fails because neither request size nor execution showed any correspondence to attitudinal measures or to compliance with the second request. Implications for a self-inference explanation are discussed.     

Identification in the Self-Managing Organization Characteristics of Target and Tenure

This study examines the characteristics of worker identification with two targets at the same time: the workers' self-managing team and the larger organization that created the teams. We administered the Organizational Identification Questionnaire in such a way as to tap levels of identification with each target and used the results of an ethnographic study of the subjects to enhance our analysis. Our data suggest that workers identified more strongly with their team than with their company, particularly in terms of loyalty. In addition, long-term workers reported more identification with both their team and company than did short-term workers. The results support the assertion that a concertive (or team-based) system of control is more powerful, even if less obtrusive, than its bureaucratic predecessor.     

Factors in a Productive Environment: Colorado State University, 1964–1976

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Colorado State University was the site of significant innovations in the counseling field. Interviews with key participants highlight the contributions and identify factors in the environment that resulted in the productivity of individuals.     

Good Samaritans, Good Humanitarians

abstract   Duties of beneficence are not well understood. Peter Singer has argued that the scope of beneficence should not be restricted to those who are, in some sense, near us. According to Singer, refusing to contribute to humanitarian relief efforts is just as wrong as refusing to rescue a child drowning before you. Most people do not seem convinced by Singer's arguments, yet no one has offered a plausible justification for restricting the scope of beneficence that doesn't produce counterintuitive results elsewhere. I offer a defence of this restricted scope by introducing the notion of unique dependence, a notion that is both intuitively attractive and theoretically grounded. It explains why your reason to rescue the drowning child is more stringent than your reason to contribute to humanitarian relief, while blocking the conclusion that we have no reason at all to aid distant sufferers.