Conformity and Obedience in An Enemy of the People An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen, is the story of a man named Dr. Thomas Stockman, who becomes a deviant to society. After discovering that the waters in the towns baths are polluted, Dr. Stockman tries to spread the news and have the baths shut down. He assumes that the townspeople will be happy to hear his news, since the water is what has been making everyone sick. However, many people in the town arent very happy to hear such news, and before Dr, Stockman realizes it, the entire town has turned against him. Stockman criticizes the townspeople for this, and even refers to them as street curs. What made the town turn against him? Did they honestly all disagree with the doctors opinion? Did they fall to group pressure? Or, was it his brother the mayors influence? There are a few possible reasons why the townspeople conformed and turned against the doctor. However, I have come to the conclusion that the most likely reason for their behavior was because of his brothers influence on the townspeople. Being the mayor, he had the right to give orders, making him a legitimate authority. As we learned for the Milgram experiment, people follow orders from both expert authorities, those who are experts in the field, and legitimate authorities, such as the mayor. The mayor pressured the people into turning against Dr. Stockman by telling them his opinion. The townspeople, knowing the mayors authority, are obedient to him.In the beginning there were two people from the town who supported Dr. Stockman: Aslaksen and Hovstad, the editor and printer from the newspaper. However, after finding out that everyone else, including the mayor, opposes Dr. Stockman, they change their minds. Basically, Aslaksen and Hovstad conform in compliance; they yield to group pressure as to avoid punishment for not conforming. The punishment in this case would be having their homes and jobs taken ...
