destructive obedience
compliance with the direct or indirect orders of a social, military, or moral authority that results in negative outcomes, such as injury to innocent victims, harm to the community, or the loss of confidence in social institutions. Examples of destructive obedience include soldiers obeying orders to attack civilians, medical personnel following a doctor’s orders even when they know the doctor is mistaken, and participants complying with the experimenter in Stanley Milgram’s classic behavioral study of obedience. Compare constructive obedience.