Share this:
- Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
EMPOWER COMMUNITY HEALTH (ECH)- 617-729-9111 
Obedience/authority: this video shows how fragile our moral beliefs truly are. The teacher is clearly concerned about causing harm to the learner yet he continues to give an increased level of punishment. His code of ethics are impacted by the authoritive figure.
Stanford: this was a case of authority and power going to someone’s head. They get so infected with the idea of being in control that it leads to abuse of other people. It surprised me at how quickly they adapted to their roles. A custome changed who they are.
LikeLike
Both these video’s I’ve seen before but never fail to surprise me in how just changing roles or following authority could change someones whole character. It’s interesting to connect the MIlgram experiment to the Holocaust and how they knew what was going on what was happening to these innocent men, women, and children yet continued to do so as this experiment shows. It also reminded me of X-Men and how one of the characters “magneto” had suffered through the holocaust and when he met a German before he killed them they told him “they were just following orders,”, and towards the end of the film Charles tried to convince him to not hurt these men because they were just following orders and his response was “I’ve been at the mercy of men just following orders” because that really hit home for him. Its concerning to see here in the Stanford experiment how by simply giving people different roles they assume that role and that power and continue to follow it knowing that they’re both hurting these people and causing emotional harm. This reminds me of an experiment done by Jane Elliott in 1992 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOTxammRTw) where she separated brown and blue eyed people and she made the brown eyed people believe they were superior by treating them kindly, giving them donuts and coffee while the blue eyed people weren’t given anything. As the experiment went on the brown eyed people actually began to believe they were superior and began to say how stupid blue eyed people and different and how brown eyed people were better. This of course was to show white privilege and how people of color cannot change the color of their skin and how just because they were white it didn’t make them any superior to people of color. But as shown in the Stanford experiment although they knew of the consequences of their actions and how they affected the prisoners, they continued to abuse their authority and play that role of superiority and truly believing they were superior whether that being about their role as prison guard or the color of their eyes.
LikeLike
It’s interesting that they conducted this experiment. When I watched this video, it reminded me of police brutality. By giving someone the power and authority over other people, they can take advantage of that and use it to abuse others like they did in this video. The good part that I liked was it took Dr. Zimbardo’s girlfriend to finally stop what he was doing on this experiment. If she didn’t speak up about it, then it would’ve continued longer and the people who were acting asprisoners would have suffered really bad.
LikeLike
What I found interesting is that there was no moral compass. They knew this was wrong, but they continue because someone told them to. Plus they felt like they was following orders even when they knew it was wrong. The first video show me that people will conform to whatever someone tells them due to people showing they have authority over them. The person in the first video knew he was hurting the other guys but continue to do so because the doctor said to keep going. He kept stated” I am hurting and him. I don’t want to hurt him.” This second video show people were willing to conform to Dr. Zimbardo experiment even if they were going too far with the experiment. They let that kind of power to corrupt them. They ultimately threw their moral judgement out the window. It took Dr. Zimbardo’s girlfriend to tell him this was wrong and to dehumanize people was not right for ant study. Made him realize he took this experiment too far.
LikeLike
Money and power can really change a person for the worst ! They may feel that their more superior maybe because of their background or from their expensive clothing .
LikeLike
Could you please elaborate??
LikeLike
I think situations and power absolutely change people as the video shows. On the other hand, I beilive that within the individual those warped & twisted abilities must already exist. For example, the lady at the end of the video could have justified what was going on by saying “its an experiment” etc. but she just wasnt having it. It was wrong and sick and she wanted no part of it or anyone who was part of it.
LikeLike
I agree, power can change a person in the worst way imaginable and especially if one is given the ability to abuse another. The crazy thing about the experiment is that the “guards” did not realize that what they were doing was wrong. In the end Zimbardo realizes that he was also being affected by the experiment, he of all the people had the most power as he was in charge of the whole thing.
LikeLike
I agree, she realize this was not an experiment anymore and they had left their morals behind. I felt like some of them still think it was just an experiment. Which make me think about their morals and their mentality. The fact they could do that to someone and not think twice about it or to think let’s see how far I can take. It is sick to me.
LikeLike
Watching this video made me really mad but also It really didn’t surprise me because whenever people start getting a little bit of authority they start to take advantage of the power and I see it happen all the time in real life. Police brutality is a HUGE example that is similar to the stanford prison experiment and it happens everyday. There is something about having power that people just like feeding off and it can cause the nicest and seemingly most normal people to do the most outrageous things. I am just glad this experiment was cut short because for the sake of those people who were getting tortured.
LikeLike
Wow, just wow. Just giving a person the authority to overlook others can turn south real quick. Not just the “prison guards”, but also the experimenters themselves changed also. With all that was happening like the guards actions increasing, and the prisoners breaking down one by one He still continued on with the experiment. Not only that I also kind of believed Dave Eshelman when he said if the experiment didn’t stop then they would of treated the prisoners like they did to the Iraqis in Abu Ghraib. That is what stood out to me in the entire video, I mean to co that in an experiment and letting it happen. We really are capable of terrible things in situations and it makes you think “is it in our nature to do these thing when given power”. Power really does corrupts even the best of us.
LikeLike
Power can turn any man into a monster. This experiment brings forth major questions about human nature and our impulses as human beings? Does the taste of power lead to its abuse and power in itself can only turn people into monsters? Historically it is seen that a tyrant is normally someone who is given power and abuses it to the best of their capabilities. We have also seen, historically, those who don’t abuse their power. Is it simply the setting in which the power has been received that mainly determines the outcome of how the person will use their power? This makes me think that the environment and how it is that the person received this power determines the outcome of the persons behavior towards those with less power than them.
LikeLike
It is fascinating and terrifying at the same time that a human being given such power with no rules can treat another human being that way.The experiment gave the prison guards power without boundaries and since the beginning broke down the prisoners by taking away their identities and their basic human rights. I think many of them broke down because of this. They were strip of their identity, the person they had known their whole life, and given a number. It reminds me of the holocaust and how Jews were also given numbers to strip them of them identity and break them down.
The environment you are in plays an important role in how you treat people however I don’t think it defines you. Yes, this experiment showed how cruel humans can be to one another but just like a person can be pushed to be cruel we can also be pushed to do good.
LikeLike
Power changes people. Almost always for the worst, not the better. There are a lot of people out there who want to be powerful, and sometimes when they get that power they abuse it. Putting a mask on, changing your identity, really does make people do crazy things. People wear masks either to be a hero, or to be a villain so it’s just a matter of what side your on. These people, who are in jail as a test to prove this specific scenario, just put on a new act and totally changed their personality just because they had power. It is sad because we don’t want to see this in officers or even our president in today’s world.
LikeLike
that is so true. in the human history we have read from the past how kings, politics and cavils have fought for power. is all about having control on others life, who can be the strongest one. this video shows the same with the exception that they don’t know what they are doing but following the instinct now. it is scary how people can change that fast..
LikeLike
Wow! In only 6 days average people turned into monsters after being given the authority to do so and no one there to tell them they’ve gone to far. It’s scary because this isn’t some horror film or a documentary of Nazi Germany, but just a random experiment with your average joe’s. We can’t just store it away as some horrible act going on somewhere else but it happened here. How could people turn into monsters like that. I can see why this is compared to the Milgram experiment. It’s one thing to know that people change based off of different environments and different circumstances, but to become so cruel is really unfathomable to me. They could have easily just called it quits or kept it playful and friendly, it didn’t have to become so extreme.
LikeLike
The purpose was to see how participants would conform to their roles and to see if the behavior depended on personality or the environment. The experiment shows how even normal, average people can behave in cruel disregarding manner when they are placed in a higher position when given more power to abuse.
LikeLike
The experiment is very interesting and telling about how people conform and respond to group/social settings. The guards conformed to what they deemed a guard should act, while the prisoners did so with their role. The way people act in group settings, is also very telling on how easily individuality can be lost. Overall I thought it was a cruel experiment as the prisoners endured very humiliating and damaging acts imposed upon them by the guards.
LikeLike
you are so right about individuality can be lost! we see in every day life how people follow unwritten rules made by powerful people. the most reach and powerful people or politician act and use to the less powerful ones just like in this video making them to follow this rules and they will put more and more until someone says STOP. if dont they will continue.
LikeLike
This video goes to show how when a person is given the smallest power they always find a way to abuse it and get more power than they ever imagined wanting. Every time that someone does what they say they get more empowered to do more because they see with just a few words someone will do anything they say without any real question. When they are questioned they take their role of aunthority more serious and make sure everyone knows who is in charge and will do anything to make sure that they know about who is really in control.
LikeLike
I remember learning about this experiment in my AP Psychology class. It still resonates with me today. I think it is mind-boggling that with just a little power people will abuse it. The fact that the experiment only lasted six days also shows you what type of mindset both the prisoners and guards were in. This experiment proved that when human beings are in certain situations and hold positions of authority , their rule is somewhat unjust. The actions that the guards took were personal choices and it also shows that with free range and no guidelines, people can become increasingly disturbing. If you take into consideration that this was only an experiment imagine how those people in similar prisons were being treated. Images were shown but imagine their mental state. Its quite sickening.
LikeLike
In my point of view, this video is not only show me how rapidly the human psychological behavior will change, but also how rapidly human morality will change under certain circumstances. As we all know, bad behavior are learned, and this video let me realized, impressed me that how fast those humiliate behavior are learned and used by those guards.
LikeLike
that just a research but this research showed when people go into a new environment and people give him too much pressure. people’s behavior , mind will change.more violent tendency to come out. actually, that just a research. But I think because of this research. we should know how to live in the society.
LikeLike
After watching this video, I kinda lost faith in humanity, because of its latent atrocity. When placed under certain circumstances, human beings prove to turn into pure evil. Let’s keep the laws and enforce them properly to contain these existing/present but concealed/inactive cruelty of humans.
LikeLike
When people need not to take responsibilities for their behaviors, their behaviors might beyond their moral bottom line. Stanford experiment showed that if people are given too much powers, it is very easy to turn ordinary people become cruel. I think the Stanford prison experiment proves that human beings have violence impulses in bodies. Once get the triggers, many of us will become violent.
LikeLike
For me after watching this video, the most interesting part was at 9:35 when one of the participants said “if you want to fully humiliate someone then you want to get them in those things where their biggest fears are, and a lot of people have a lot of sexual hangups, it was part of the effort to humiliate them even further.” This was extremely interesting to see the way his mentality developed throughout this experiment. I feel as though when we are given a role/job it’s hard to see the perspective of others. In this case the guards took advantage of the authority they lacked in their realistic environment. Where as in the experiment they have total power, authority, and no rules.
LikeLike
It was absolutely horrifying to see the guards treat the prisoners like this. but I believe that there are many reasons why the guards did this. But I also think that the guards did not just do it for the role they ere playing but actually got into it by the environment they were in (the prison) and also taking the prisoners and guessing why they were in there for a reason making it more easier for them to treat these prisoners very poorly. And I also find it crazy how Zimbardo couldn’t see the wrong in the experiment, probably thinking cognitively instead of emotionally and how this actually affects the prisoners.
LikeLike
Even after watching this video again, I felt a chill go up my back. It’s jaw-dropping how people could act in such an inhumane way to others. Still heart breaking.
LikeLike
I rewatched it and barely could hold back my tears, this experiment upsets me so much. To think we could drop who we are, our own conscious just to fall into a in-humanized behavior towards others.
LikeLike
Just rewatched the expiriment and it still confuses me on how these guards did all those horrible things to those “prisoners” even though they could’ve been the prisoners themselves.
LikeLike
This is my second time watching this now and it still makes me tear up of how far people will go once you give them a role to play.
LikeLike
AM JANE
What an experience, watching this video has is very disturbing in a way. It has helped me understand how can some one can be really be changed or transformed by the psychological events…Human nature being transformed totally to something else. People can change from something they were to something else different, Like the guard who became and extremist.Asking prisoners to undress and then “Fuck the ground” Like they would do what they were asking prisoners to do. Worst thing when the prisoner asked to see the doctor and the guards did not take any step to help this guy.This whole experiment must have changed a lot of people’s personality by the time it was shut down … There is a point where it said that they forced people in a dark small room where u could hardly see what is in there nor stand. What kind of normal person does that. If i was offered to be a guard in that prison i don’t think i would be able to go along with the whole experiment because i would have a heart to sympathies with the prisoners.
LikeLike
It’s crazy how quickly the ” prison guards” changed based on the fact that they weren’t being told what was right or wrong and as a “prisoner” it’s scary to think that at some point someone is going to tell them that what they’re doing is unnecessary and no one does that. The people playing the prison also saw their jobs as a game of “how far can I take this” and I feel that in reality prison guards really do test the limits and see what would actually happen if they were to give someone a cruel punishment and after seeing that it comes with no consequence, I can easily see why they would get carried away.
LikeLike
Hello! I agree with you, it is scary how people can change upon the the position the are. I think they start everything as “lets see how far am I gonna go” and they get stack there. the people who are in authority cant stop being the person who put the rules and the people who have to obey do not know where the limit is.
LikeLike
This was an interesting experiment. It goes to show how peoples normal behavior can be affected even influence by others actions as well as your behavior can also affect someone else behavior, those dummy prisoners were forced to do things out of the ordinary and being that they were conducting an experiment they still did not have the will to tell them to stop or that they will not do it. it was also interesting to see that people use there power to control others and having that little title of an officer. Things like this still happen in today society every where you look people use there title to get away with things.
LikeLike
This experiment was crazy to think about and how easily power rushed to these peoples heads. In the video clip when they show prisoners with bags over their heads, and the guards beat them, it was surreal to think that a small increase of power can influence such harsh action. In my opinion these prisoners were treated like trash, and it was gut wrenching. The experiment itself seemed to show ties to Nazi Germany and their terrible treatment toward the Jews, and just shows how power changes people in many ways.
LikeLike
I agree with you and I feel that at the end of the experiment they had to try and convince themselves and whoever else watched this experiment that they only did what they did because that was what they were told as the Nazis soldiers did . However in reality their job was to simply be a prison guard and not to treat the prisoners as if they were less than human beings. No matter the circumstance and no matter the amount when people are giving too much power they become so overwhelmed that they don’t know what else to do with that power except negative things
LikeLike
What an interesting experiment, I feel as if I were there watching when I seen the prisoners with bags over their head. I felt as if I were physically there watching the “prison guards” beat the “prisoners”. For some reason I can’t come to terms with the way the guards became extremely power-motivated. I mean let me not be so judgmental, I guess I can understand how power can be an extremely motivating path factor. One thing I can’t understand is how another person can physically harm and antagonist someone in the name of power.I believe that if I were a guard in this situation I would definitely not have been able to be do this experiment . The prisoners were treated disgustingly as if they were animals, or less.
The development of this experiment had ideas of Hitler as well as Nazi Germany showed they were active.The guards in Nazi Germany treated the Jewish people like animals. In real life I’ve never seen this exact thing happen but I have seen people conform to power. Power does change people , sometimes for the better or worst.
LikeLike
This experiment was taken way too far, to the point where it became inaccurate. The guards created unrealistic stressors for the given evirmoent. Those events would not happen in a prison, therefore the reactions to the environment are inaccurate because it is an inaccurate environment. Prisoners would not be subject to cleaning toilet bowls with their hands. One stressor that was shocking but may be exceptionally accurate was the guards discriminating against prisoners. Also the guard who was the first to begin being harsh to the prisoners and keep the prisoners in line was the starter of the bystander effect that led to tyranny over the prisoners.
LikeLike
This is not only cruel but is very different. They took civilized people and put them in a situation between who’s good and who’s bad. People lost their sanity. People left higher up than others which forced them to treat the prisoners like trash or like slaves. Using their fears and what humiliated them causing emotional and mental break downs. Causing people to leave giving them a false sense of trust. This really is bad and no one knew what is what anymore. It took an outsider, his wife to say that this wasn’t good. That this wasn’t human. This didn’t really make much sense besides the ending. Seeing that people, humans, that are innocent, were treated badly because others were given higher authority. The prisioners didn’t fight nor did they ask any questions, the guards didn’t ask for orders really they went with what they thought they should do.
LikeLike
This experiment was a showing of how people can conform to extreme measures. The people in this experiment were regular healthy males that showed no sign of mental illness or anything of the sort. The guards and the prisoners were chosen by a flip of a coin. So it wasn’t like these people chose the roles. It was all based on a coin flip. No one told them how they should act or told them certain rules on how to run the prison. It was all decided on the people in the experiment. In just the short span of six days the guards were just plain cruel and dehumanized the prisoners. The prisoners did nothing to stop it, just because they are labeled as prisoners, and they are supposed to submit and take the punishment for the guards. The experiment was cut short because of how bad the guards were treating the prisoners. I found this all pretty amusing because of the fact that these guards were chosen due to a coin flip. They could’ve been the ones to receive the abuse if the coin had landed on a different side. Plus, I was surprised as to why the prisoners didn’t do a single thing to these guards. It wasn’t like they had guns or anything. They had the power to fight but they just didn’t. I don’t really understand why humans conform to such lengths.
LikeLike
What I have witnessed wasn’t act of conformity among the common man. Doctors in Zimbardo experiment showed the reality of what goes on inside eat today. This experiment showed that when put in certain environments, the person will tend to fit their role in society. As showcased in the video you have commoners playing these assigned parts that were given to them some prisoners somewhere guards. “Flip a coin”. My reaction to this experiment was out of shock in the humane. This experiment yet again proved that though you were taught right from wrong it can take certain situations Such as this to ostracize said morals.
LikeLike
What an experiment! The level of conformity is quite the factor here. It’s amazing how the guards just malign the prisoners on a daily basis. I wonder how the scientists and psychologists at the time felt while watching all of this happen. Is it their fault though? Or is it the fault of the guards for assuming such a high power that they can do anything? How can such an experiment get out of hand? You can give anyone any type of authority and they think they can do anything to anyone.
LikeLike
Very disturbing footage… how is it possible for the guards to treat other human beings that way, when they knew it could have been them… the experiment should have ended when one of the prisoners had a mental breakdown…. sorry I watched the video but forgot to comment.
LikeLike
When I started watching the video and they were explaining the experiment I wondered how realistic it could be. They all knew that it was an experiment and they had an end date. Real prisoners do not have an end date they have no idea if they will ever get out. I wasn’t sure if they would be able to get to the point the doctors were hoping. By the end of the video I was surprised and mortified that they took the whole thing as far as they did. It was pretty interesting to see how role play went to a level of pure abuse and violence. The worst part was these men did nothing and now they were subjected to brutality that probably left psychological scars. It bothers me that humans can get so wound up in what was essentially role play, that it in fact became reality.
LikeLike
Just goes to show that once any type of individual gets a little bit of power what he or she can turn into and what he or she can really mess up lives psychologically by acting out of the norm. There’s one thing to have structure and rules but there’s another thing to make people feel humiliated and worthless. Makes you realize that we all need to have each others back and make sure the guy or girl to the left and right of us understand that we are all equal and nobody needs to be looked down upon.
LikeLike
This experiment was shocking but also eye opening. It showed me how much your envoirment and your role in society can impact the way you act and treat others. These people were not instructed on how to act or treat the prisoners, the environment and role they played rubbed off on them and encouraged them to act this way. They started to treat the men who were acting prisoners horribly as if they had actually done something wrong. There judgment was fogged by what was going on and they sort of fell naturally into their role and even beyond. They did not see their actions as wrong at the time because it was simply their “duty”. It really blew my mind and made me realize how quickly people can change how they act just due to what they are instructed to do or their environment.
LikeLike
This experiment was way scarier than the first. I found it weird how Philip Zimbardo laughed at the comment of how “unethical” this experiment was. But that wasn’t the scariest part. To me it was that these guards weren’t told how to act or what to say. The acts of violence against these prisoners were so cruel. These men choose to be abusive authority figures. I understand that the prisoners at first were being disrespectful and rebellious. The guards then thought it was reasonable to instill fear and obedience into the prisoners. The point I took from this experiment is if you give the tools to someone or a group of people, they can abuse it especially if they have more than the others. In this case the guards were given weapons, uniforms and sunglasses. They were able to control the prisoners. The prisoners were stripped of their identitys, clothing and had a chain around their foot. These costumes were symbols to each of the groups and was interpreted that, “I am a guard, I’m superior” and “I am a just a number, I must obey the authority figure”. I was relived to find he shut down the experiment. It was even more fascinating because it took someone from the outside looking in to show Zimbardo he was wrong for condoning this and the experiment had so much power that it even changed him. This can be applied to so ,any things especially when it comes to experiments. How many scientist might have and still are caught up in this whirl wind of trying to prove a point but hurting groups of people to prove this point. Do they realize the damage being caused? Do they realize the damage or are they to selfish to put a stop to it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s amazing how one can trick the mind into believing other things. Clearly, in this experiment, people were being tricked into thinking that they were actual guards or prisoners. Something so simple like sunglasses could mask their real personality to become another person. Same physical appearance but different mentalities. This psychological experiment ruined many people especially a specific guy from the other video that Sarah shared with us. All the mistreatment that the prisoners received was horrifying. Who could blame them for having psychological issues afterwards…
LikeLike
Hello Cristina!
Its almost as if the sunglasses gave them a new persona. it was the new life of an out of control prison guard, who had no limits. As i said to juan in another comment, its just like the Milgram experiment. The consequences of hurting someone else would not be put on them, but rather the people conducting the experiment. So they push the limits as they will have no personal harm from it, thus throwing all their morals they has prior to this entire experiment. it lasted such a short amount of time.. which wasn’t surprising to me.
LikeLike
Watching this video and many others after this about psychological experiments tells us how controlling mind can work even in educated people (students). It is fascinating how people change depending on their roles even fake roles some became very authoritarian and some obey. It shows that there are not good or bad people but people who act depending on the circumstances. After watching this video I Was curious what other experiments were done and what have shown. I was horrified by what is done, people haven psychological problems or even dead. (sleep experiment by Russian) I do not understand how some experiments can be legal are extreme and unnecessary. Do the people who are going to be test what is going to happen with them, does the test have a limit when is going to be over?
LikeLike
Wow this experiment was horrifying and inhumane. However, it was very interesting to see how much the guards acted differently once you give them their roles. I can’t believe that the guy who created it couldn’t even see how horrible it was. All he knew was that he gave these people a role to play and they just act on it. Seeing how the prisoners were being treated was extremely disturbing, however the guards didn’t see it that way.
LikeLike
I think a lot of why this experiment was so impacting is because the people who were given these high power roles, never really had that role so they didn’t know what to do with it but use it to it’s maximum potential. I think they themselves knew what they were doing was incredibly wrong, but since this was just an “experiment”, nobody would be held accountable so the well being of everybody else to them, went out the window.
LikeLike
Hello Juan!
To talk about how you stated that the people in power “knew what they were doing was incredibly wrong, but since [it] was just an ‘experiment’, nobody would be help accountable” was mostly true. Its kind of like how professor talked about the milligram experiment. They kept zapping the stranger because if they died or got severely hurt, it would be the doctors fault, not their fault. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but didn’t stop. i also think the power got to their head, and they totally went wild with it. In real life, they would have consequences for those actions, but in that experiment it was kinda of a free will job to act like a maniac.
LikeLike
Wow… that was hard to watch… I do wonder if any of them still struggle with any kind of psychological problems from that experiment… or maybe if any of them actually repress the memory of this and forget all about it? Everyone handles situations differently so I’m sure they all were affected in many different ways… Unfortunately I think in situations where you have to play a certain role little by little it gets easier and easier…
LikeLike
Do a little research, look up the long-term outcomes….
LikeLike
Hello Courtney!
without doing any research, how do you think the outcome will look? do you think some people actually will repress this memory, or do you think it will dramatize them forever?
I personally think they will be more scared because they came into this thinking it was a safe, and controlled experiment, but it turned out to be nothing but out of control. How do you think that would effect how they react to all of this afterwards?
Thanks!
LikeLike
I found a longer video on youtube, heres the link if anyone wants it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0
I found it interesting how these people can completely change their behavior due to what role they are in. The prisoners seemed to come into the situation not expecting much since most of them were in on it, and so they did not expect strangers to make them suffer. Meanwhile the guards who were a part of this experiment came into this not wanting to hurt any body, but they were in such a powerful, and controlling role, that they really took advantage of it. These people who were guards were equals when they were all deciding who was going to be a guard, and who was going to be a prisoner. Once being put in the “authority” or “higher power” role, they ran with it. These people who were usually loving and caring people, turned into manipulative, heartless human beings. Even when seeing some of the prisoners have breakdowns, they did not stop. They seemed to have no remorse for anyone. The power they had really trumped all consequences for anything else. This experiment maybe helped show that when you are put in a situation where other people are suffering and you are not, some people may want to stay in that position so they will do anything to stay in it. Or it shows that when in power, things can get out of control. Very interesting experiment, i loved learning about it! Im curious to watch more documentaries on it actually.
LikeLike
This experiment blurred the line of reality for these students. Once the line was blurred, real psychological distress occurred and created real genuine reactions. It represents the volatility of the human psyche. What’s really amazing is that it was only 2 weeks.
More importantly, this experiment showed the natural reactions that humans have in certain situations. The guards were corrupted by power and the prisoners reacted to unjust imprisonment. I do believe, even though it was an experiment, true personalities surfaced. The biggest problem that this experiment shed light on, which, in my opinion is the biggest problem in todays society, is the fact that the nice guards, the ones who never did anything to the prisoners because they knew it was unjust, they did not stop the corrupted student almost as if the level of aggression and confidence self proclaimed him as leader. It’s a psychological default that we should be taught to over come. Apparently this experiment didn’t solve much as this problem is more abundant know than ever.
LikeLike
What an amazing experiment. I cringed watching the “prison guards” beating the “prisoners”. I couldn’t believe how the guards became so power-hungry and punished and humiliated the prisoners. I really do have to say that I believe if I were in that situation and I were assigned to be a guard that I would have had more empathy for the prisoners. The way the prisoners were treated was abhorrent. The way this experiment had ideas of Hitler and Nazi Germany was scary. The guards in Nazi Germany were so into the power and treated the Jews like animals. I saw etchings of this in this experiment. Power can certainly be like a drug and becomes addictive. So different from ideas of human compassion. This experiment raised my awareness as to my responsibilities as a human being, as an actor but also as a bystander.
LikeLike
I agree with everything you have written… I saw the same… and now I will be even more aware of my capabilities of being able to have certain affect on others
LikeLike
Hi Amy and Courtney,
I’m appalled at how the guards started acting so inhumane all of a sudden. But quick question do you ladies think it could have been because of the first guard, Dave, that they all followed his lead? Maybe they weren’t going to act violent unless they saw someone take lead on that behavior. What if Dave’s personality was abusive to begin with even before the experiment. He might say he just felt to fit his role infant of the camera but what if his real self personality was abusive and power hungry? He was the first one who started acting superior than the prisoners and it only took him about a day to display this behavior. Once the rest of the guards saw his behavior they followed his lead as instruction on how to act. After all they were given no other instructions so the moment they saw some sort of lead they decided to follow. Personality that was learned perhaps?
LikeLike
It’s really amazing how much environmental conditions and social standing can affect a person’s behavior. I found another video on this experiment where they actually interview some of the people who were involved and show a bunch of the footage that was taken at the time. Here’s the link if anyone’s interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0.
When this experiment started, all the volunteers, both the guards and the prisoners, were all pretty average guys and yet, over a mere 6 day period, the behavioral and emotional changes in them were staggering. The guards were taking advantage of their authority and were controlling the prisoners however they wanted and the prisoners were actually having mental breakdowns even though everyone involved knew the whole thing was an experiment. All participants knew none of this was real life and yet somehow it became real life.
The most amazing thing, however, was that not only were the volunteers caught up in the prison simulation, the experimenters, and Dr. Zimbardo himself, were as well. After a couple days, I assume, everyone involved with this experiment no longer saw it as an experiment. The worst part of this is at that point no one could actually consider themselves “on the outside looking in” because they were all caught up in what was happening and that’s what’s truly terrifying
LikeLike
Thanks for the video! It was really helpful to understand what really happened behind the scene of the experiment.
LikeLiked by 1 person