Preview

Effects Of The Stanford Prison Experiment

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
413 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Effects Of The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment was a very unique and brutal experiment. In 1973 the professor Philip G. Zimbardo set out to study how normal subjects such as college aged men would react as “prisoners” and “guards” in a mock prison setting. Stanford set up what they called a “mock prison” in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology building. During the experiment there were ten prisoners and eleven guards. The prisoners were stripped of their uniqueness by being dressed in matching smocks and nylon caps. Prisoners were also only referred to by their ID number. The guards in the experiment were also “deindividualized” as they were to wear khaki uniforms and silver reflector sunglasses. Guards had billy clubs, whistles, handcuffs and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Stanford Prison Experiment was an experiment that Philip Zimbardo evented. He wanted to study the human response of captivity, of the prison life. Zimbardo randomly assigned roles to the prisoners and the guards. Each role was uniquely identified. For example, he gave the guards sticks and sunglasses and the prisoners were arrested by the police department and were forced into the basement of the jail which was converted into the psychology department that was converted into a makeshift jail. Zimbardo wanted the experiment to be as realistic as he possibly could have made it, therefore, he assigned each role to help do so. Testing each individual and then assigning them to roles would of gave inconclusive readings and therefore, it was…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some examples of dysfunction during the stanford prison experiment are one of the guys went into the prison experiment. He thought it was going to be an easy way to get money for a summer job and then when he got there he got the role of being a prisoner. He just lost it he started to say that he was going crazy and that something was eating him inside out. He felt like he was going to explode and so the guards reacted by putting him in the hole. Then the guy would still yell and say he wanted out and they wouldn't let him out until he got the chance to go and talk to the guy that was running this whole thing and they let him out.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Stanford Prison Experiment took place during the summer of 1971 and was led by Stanford University professor, Philip G. Zimbardo (Zimbardo). The experiment was done to evaluate the psychological effects of guards and prisoners (prisonexp). In order to test this, Zimbardo decided to create a mock prison in a hall of the Stanford psychology building (prisonexp). This was a costly affair and to afford the experiment, Zimbardo was funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, who was also interested in the science behind the conflict between guards and prisoners (bbcprsionstudy). The Stanford Prison Experiment originally was conducted to study the relationship betweens guards and prisoners, but by the conclusion of the experiment it was obvious…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In discussions of the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Philip G. Zimbardo in 1970, one controversial issue has been whether or not the experiment should have ever been attempted. On the one hand, Dr. Zimbardo and his colleagues argued that the experiment gave them a deeper understanding of human suffering and a greater empathy for their fellow man (Ratnesar 2011). On the other hand, one of the former guards contended that the experiment made him more hostile and less sympathetic during his time as a guard and that the circumstances significantly altered his perception of what was appropriate behavior. Others even maintain that the prison experiment degraded the prisoners so greatly, empowered the guards to such a great extent, and even affected Dr. Zimbardo’s behavior and mannerisms so dramatically that it thoroughly altered their sense of…

    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The articles “The Stanford Prison Experiment” written by Philip G. Zimbardo and “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience” composed by Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton both focus on the effects of power. In which the subjects have been ordered to follow something by superiors. In the experiment the original group of subjects are divided into the role of guards, and inmates. The massacre, however, was not an experiment but was the result of an order issued by a higher ranking official. In comparison the movie A Few Good Men was used. This movie contained the same main underlying concepts as the articles which makes it a good comparison. Involved were two marine who were charged with murder of a fellow marine and the conspiracy…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever noticed that certain people act and behave differently when they are with crowds versus when they are alone? Being in a large crowd can really impact individual to act in a certain way that they seem to fit in with the group and sometimes do things more anonymous as it is in a large crowd. Both Zimbardo and Le Bon believe that bystanders are less responsible and more likely to commit violence than when people are alone. Philip Zimbardo is a psychologist and a professor at Stanford University; he researches the cause of evil in people by doing a Stanford prison experiment. Zimbardo states about how evil can cause good people easily by the peers that they are surrounded by and the culture and traditional way changes can affect people…

    • 1535 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of government has been around for centuries. It has changed and expanded so much over the years that certain governments have morphed into a more violent institution, in some cases. Because governments have changed so much over the years, certain governments have slowly evolved to become extreme, and may be considered seriously dangerous in the future.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the infamous experiment in the history of psychology was the Stanford Prison Experiment. Its creator, Dr. Zimbardo, main objective was to see what effects would occur when a psychological experiment into human nature was performed. As I began to perform some research of my own, I noticed that my thoughts on the matter were similar to many; that as a scientific research project, Mr. Zimbardo’s experiment it was a complete failure. However, his findings did provide us with something that was much more important that is still being talked about today; insight into human psychology and social behavior.…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people desire some sort of power. Whether it is political power or economic power, this yearning runs our society. Some people use their power to benefit others, and other person inappropriately use their power to degrade and diminish. As explored in the Stanford Prison Experiment, Philip Zimbardo states people change with they are given “power without oversight” (Zimbardo, The Psychology of Evil, TedTalk). Though the students were considered “good apples,” the combination of situation and the system caused the guards to lose their identities and to abuse their power in inhumane ways. The results of the experiment were derived many observations and conclusions about the subjects; however, Zimbardo’s switch between running the experiment…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zimbardo Prison Eperiment

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The experiment took place in the basement of the Psychology department in Stanford University and selected 24 undergraduate students out of 70 volunteers due to their lack of psychological issues and had no criminal record. Zimbardo paid each of the 24 participants 15 dollars a day in a span of one to two weeks. The 24 volunteers were randomly assigned to play a role as either a guard or a prisoner. The cell was made up of three prison cells, each one holding three mock prisoners. The guards chosen had to work in an eight hour shift alongside two other participants. The guards chosen have their own cell to themselves and one small room for solitary confinement. Kendra Cherry stated in her article that, “According to Zimbardo and his colleagues, the Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrates the powerful role that the situation can play in human behavior” (Cherry). The volunteers for this experiments took on their role almost instantaneously.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In August of 1971, a group of researchers, headed by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, at Stanford University, set out to learn just how prison affects a person psychologically. The results of this experiment were shocking, to say the least, and led that team of researchers, and many others, to question just how bad the prison systems of America really are. The results of this experiment were far more devastating and shocking than anyone involved had imagined.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Experiments have been done for many more years than humans can count on the two hands in which they possess. Two experiments, in particular, were written, “The Stanford Prison Experiment” by Philip G. Zimbardo and “The Perils of Obedience” by Stanley Milgram. These experiments can be controversial for many different reasons, but neither of these experiments were completed under conditions of normality. The information collected in these experiments isn’t exactly based off of real life situations, it becomes difficult not to question the relevance of these experiments.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    J O N AT H A N, V I N E E T H , J A K E , R O H I T…

    • 359 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Abu Ghirab prison was the most horrific, brutal and dehumanizing thing I have even come across. The level of suffering the inmates experienced words cannot express how terrifying it is. There were male as well as female and even worst, children was in that dreadful place. They were treated worse than animals in my opinion, I cannot see in no one lives they should have to encounter such gruesome experience. The Stanford prison experiment was conducted on August 14th to 20th, 1971.The team of researchers were led by professor Phillip Zimbardo.This experiment was conducted with college students. This experiment was also dehumanizing although the prisoners were forced to engage in many events, such as defecating in buckets and used their hands…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    the stanford prison experiment was an experiment that took place in 1971 it was meant to test if under any circumstances will people take on the rolls they are given and how will they adapt to those rolls, this experiment took place for 6 days, it was meant to last for six weeks it was forced to end shortly after thing has gotten out of…

    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays