Milgram's classic study of obedience demonstrations that most people will obey an authority figure even if this means physically hurting another person. In the original study 65% of participants continued to shock to 450 volts.
This is even more surprising that when questioned more psychiatrists stated than only 1% of the population would shock to the maximum 450 volts.
Video of the Milgram (1963) study of obedience shows that most participants will administer high level shocks when dissolved of responsibility. Milgram's agency theory states that the participant was an agent of the experimenter, and as such did not act as an autonomous individual who has responsibility for their own actions.