In 1961 Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of experiments to determine just how obedient the average adult will remain in a situation where they morally disagree with the authority at hand.
Watch the BBC recreate the famous Milgram experiment in 2009.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
And while we’re just scratching the surface here, let’s not forget 1971’s Stanford Prison Experiment which examined the psychology of prison life from all perspectives; that of the prison guard and the prisoner alike.
Watch a TV documentary about the Stanford Prison Experiment. The brainchild of psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo, this experiment became so intense that it was shut down after a mere six days.