Behind the Shock Machine

The previously untold story of the most controversial psychological research of the modern era

In the summer of 1961, a group of men and women volunteered for an experiment run by young, dynamic psychologist Stanley Milgram. None imagined that, once in the lab, they would be seated behind a box known as a shock machine and ordered to give electric shocks to a man they’d just met. And none could have foreseen how the repercussions of these actions, made under pressure and duress, would reverberate throughout their lives. For the volunteers had been set up — the ‘victim’ was an actor, the shocks were fake, and what was really being tested was how far they, the true subjects of the experiment, would go.

When Milgram’s results were released, they created a worldwide sensation. He reported that people had repeatedly shocked a man they believed to be in pain, even dying, because they had been told to — linking his findings to Nazi behaviour during the Holocaust. But some questioned Milgram’s unethical methods in fooling people. Milgram became both hero and villain, and his work seized the public imagination for more than half a century, inspiring books, plays, films, and art.

For Gina Perry, the narrative never felt finished. Interviewing participants and delving into Milgram’s unpublished papers, she uncovered an incredible story: Milgram’s results differed from what he reported, and his plans went further than anyone imagined. This is the gripping, unforgettable tale of one man’s ambition and an experiment that defined a generation.