On January, the latest issue of American Psychologist will feature the results of a study whose startling conclusion is that people will follow orders to hurt a fellow human being, when placed in some situations. The situation seems to be the primordial concept in the scheme of things. Depending on the situation that an ordinary man finds himself in, he can either be a cruel monster or a hero. Present still is the concept of human will.

A figure of authority within the given situation can actually make an ordinary person follow orders, even if the task is immoral or illegitimate. Credible authority that commands respect, trust, and confidence can sometimes be more powerful than a person’s conscience. Present still is the concept of human choice, however. The ordinary man, finding himself in such a situation where a figure of authority orders him to inflict pain on another human being, retains the choice to act on the order or not.

Another project undertaken by some social scientists dubbed as the Everyday Heroism project seeks to understand heroic behavior in humans. The premise is that if any ordinary man can do evil, so can he do good. Being ‘heroic’ in times of emergencies and catastrophes can also come naturally to any human being. As the project states, “Most heroes are everyday people who do a heroic deed once in their lifetime because they have to be in a situation of evil or danger.”

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Via CNN