Ent, Michael and Baumeister, Roy. “Obedience, Self-Control, and the Voice of Culture”

In this article, social psychologists Michael Ent and Roy Baumeister argue that while in general Stanley Milgram’s experiments [see key texts] are taken to show that obedience is very dangerous, obedience can also be seen as positive for cultural systems and is not inherently harmful. In addition to showing why obedience and leadership are often very beneficial for cultural systems, Ent and Baumeister show that obedience can also indicate the human’s ability to adapt.

Ent, Michael R. and Baumeister, Roy F. “Obedience, Self-Control, and the Voice of Culture.” Journal of Social Issues, 2014, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 574-586.