Stanley Milgram

Although one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century, he never took a psychology course as an undergraduate. He applied to a PhD program in social psychology and was initially rejected due to lack of psychology background. He was accepted in 1954 after taking six courses in psychology. In 1962, APA put his membership in suspension due to questions about the ethics of his experiments. His controversial Milgram experiments came to light in 1963.

The six degrees of separation concept originates from another Milgram's experiment in 1967 that tracked chains of acquaintances in the US.

In 1974, Milgram published Obedience to Authority and was awarded the annual social psychology award by the AAAS (mostly for his work over the social aspects of obedience).

He used his models to explain the My Lai massacre (including authority training in the military, depersonalizing the "enemy" through race and cultural differences, etc.).

In 1976, CBS presented a movie about obedience experiments: "The Tenth Level” with William Shatner as Stephen Hunter - a Milgram-like scientist. Milgram was a consultant for the film.

Milgram died in 1984 in the city of his birth, New York, at the young age of 51 of heart attack.

References:

• Milgram, Stanley. "The Small World Problem." Psychology Today, May 1967. pp 60 - 67 (http://smallworld.sociology.columbia.edu)
• Milgram, S. (1974), Obedience to Authority; An Experimental View ISBN 006131983X
• Milgram, S. (1974), "The Perils of Obedience" (http://home.swbell.net/revscat/perilsOfObedience.htm), Harper's Magazine
  • Abridged and adapted from Obedience to Authority