Why did some teachers continue administering shocks despite objecting to the experiment?

In the Milgram experiment, participants continued to administer shocks despite their objections primarily because they were being commanded by an authority figure who insisted the experiment must continue.1

Stanley Milgram concluded that individuals often defer to authority, a tendency he linked to the division of labour in modern society, which alienates people from the consequences of their actions. When prompted by the experimenter, participants felt compelled to obey despite experiencing significant emotional distress and moral conflict.21

It is important to note that these experiments are widely considered unethical today due to the deception, lack of informed consent, and the psychological trauma inflicted upon participants. The willingness to follow orders over one's own sense of morality highlights a dangerous aspect of human behavior, where authoritative commands can override individual conscience, a phenomenon sometimes described as the "banality of evil".12