In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo created a mock prison at Stanford University to study the human response to imprisonment. Student volunteers were pre-screened to ensure they had no pre-existing psychological issues, randomly selected to be either "guards" or "prisoners," and placed in the prison wearing the appropriate uniforms. The students quickly moved beyond a simple role play, and became engrossed by their new identities within two days. Guards became authoritarian and sadistic, ordering prisoners to perform humiliating tasks, depriving them of sleep, withholding bathroom privileges, taking away beds, leaving prisoners locked in a closet for long periods, and hosing them down with fire extinguishers. Although the guards were paid only for eight hour shifts ($15 per shift) and were expected to go home between shifts, many volunteered extra time to help keep the prisoners in line. Prisoners became despondent and submissive, with two prisoners so traumatized that they were pulled from the experiment. Many broke down after their mock "parole" was denied, apparently forgetting that they were not real prisoners and were free to leave the experiment at any time. (Pay was not the issue; all but one prisoner agreed during their parole hearings that they would give up all the money they had earned in return for parole.) The entire study was stopped after just six days rather than the planned two weeks.
"The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" is Zimbardo's very detailed description of those six days based on audio recordings, video recordings, his notes, and the diaries kept by the guards and prisoners. He also discusses related research and studies, such as the Milgram experiment. The book is a convincing argument that "situational factors" can radically alter the behavior of people who ordinarily have normal personalities. At the same time, Zimbardo is very careful to note that these situational factors are never an excuse for the behavior. Rather, it is our responsibility to remain self-aware and cognizant of the situations that may be drawing us in.
Zimbardo goes on to describe some of the striking similarities between the Stanford Prison Experiment and the abuses at Abu Ghraib. He asserts that Abu Ghraib was not caused simply by a few "bad apples," but by systemic factors that created the atmosphere in which otherwise ordinary soldiers would become abusers. Unfortunately, Zimbardo stretches this point, using one chapter to put George Bush and members of his administration "on trial" for the abuse. No matter what your opinion on this matter, this chapter is out of place, and we wish Zimbardo had stuck with the psychology and left the politics out of it. That being said, we still highly recommend this book, if only for the remarkable story of how someone's behavior can change so radically and quickly merely because they've been given a role to play and the clothes to play it in.
"The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" is Zimbardo's very detailed description of those six days based on audio recordings, video recordings, his notes, and the diaries kept by the guards and prisoners. He also discusses related research and studies, such as the Milgram experiment. The book is a convincing argument that "situational factors" can radically alter the behavior of people who ordinarily have normal personalities. At the same time, Zimbardo is very careful to note that these situational factors are never an excuse for the behavior. Rather, it is our responsibility to remain self-aware and cognizant of the situations that may be drawing us in.
Zimbardo goes on to describe some of the striking similarities between the Stanford Prison Experiment and the abuses at Abu Ghraib. He asserts that Abu Ghraib was not caused simply by a few "bad apples," but by systemic factors that created the atmosphere in which otherwise ordinary soldiers would become abusers. Unfortunately, Zimbardo stretches this point, using one chapter to put George Bush and members of his administration "on trial" for the abuse. No matter what your opinion on this matter, this chapter is out of place, and we wish Zimbardo had stuck with the psychology and left the politics out of it. That being said, we still highly recommend this book, if only for the remarkable story of how someone's behavior can change so radically and quickly merely because they've been given a role to play and the clothes to play it in.
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