Obedience is a psychological term used to describe the process of complying with direct orders or commands given by an authority figure even when the authority may have conflicting orders with personal beliefs or values. It is strong kind of social influence that serves to keep order within the society yet may have adverse effects in case the authority is abused.
Among the most remarkable experiments of obedience is one conducted in the 1960s by Stanley Milgram that enabled the participants to deliver what they thought were to be painful electric shocks to others just because a figure of authority had command. Recent studies are still examining the issue of obedience in various environments, including work environments, military, and healthcare, and it has been found that perceived legitimacy of authority, group pressure, and individual differences, among others, influence the propensity to comply. Although obedience might foster cooperation and form, it also tends to bring up critical ethical concerns especially in cases where it results to blind obedience or support of immoral acts.