“We must continue.” The strange appearance of “we” instead of “you” in the prods of the Milgram experiment

Abstract

In Milgram's obedience experiment, one of the many adjustments made by the experimenter to his “prods” is the regular use of “we” instead of the “you” required by the protocol. For example, he might say “we must continue” instead of “you must continue.” This text aims to describe the appearance for this use of “we” and suggests ways to understand what the “we” means for the experimenter who uses it, for the subject to whom it is addressed. Although Milgram describes a dualism (I–you), with an authority dominating a subject reduced to the agentic state, the “we” is a sign of similarity between those involved in the interaction and indicates cooperation rather than domination.