A middle-aged man makes a passive comment on social media about his colleague. He would not make such a comment in a face-to-face conversation with the colleague. According to Milgram's study, the man most likely made the comment about his colleague because of which of the following?

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When evaluating why the middle-aged man posted a passive comment about his colleague on social media but wouldn’t say the same in person, we need to consider social psychology concepts at play in Milgram-inspired or related obedience/deindividuation literature.
Option 1: 'the false uniqueness effect' would imply the person believes his own views or behaviors are more unique than others, which would not explain a random disparaging comment online that he would not vocalize face-to-face. This effect is about overestimating the distinctiveness of one’s own attitudes, not about disinhibition in online contexts.
Option 2: 'depersonalization of the colleague' directly captures the notion that the colleague is stripped of individuality in the online setting, making it easier to make negative comments without the usual social accountability. This aligns with depersonalization processes where anonymity or distance reduces emotional resistance to harmful remarks.
Option 3: 'his closeness and legitimacy with the colleague' would suggest a reason to speak freely or more respectfully in person, implying more direct contact would increase, not decrease, propriety. It does not explain why he would post a negative remark online but restrain himself face-to-face.
Option 4: 'the chameleon effect' refers to unconsciously mimicking others’ behaviors in social situations, which would influence nonverbal behavior or speech in the moment, but does not account for why the content is posted online in a depersonalized medium versus live interaction.
Overall, the online environment can create a sense of depersonalization of the target, lowering inhibitions and enabling comments that the person would withhold in person. The other options misfit the described scenario either by addressing misaligned social-identity dynamics, inconsistent behavioral expectations across contexts, or a phenomenon focused on imitation rather than restraint in expression.

A middle-aged man makes a passive comment on social media about his colleague. He would not make such a comment in a face-to-face conversation with the colleague. According to Milgram's study, the man most likely made the comment about his colleague because of which of the following?

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