Stanford prison experiment

Do you know the Stanford prison experiment? I bet you do. It is famous, also because it has been depicted in several films. Have you seen the movie "Das Experiment"? Let me tell you about it.

The author of the experiment is Zimbardo who, through an ad in the newspaper, recruited male students who had never met each other. Students underwent physical and psychological tests. Among those selected were students chosen to be physically and mentally stable, and less prone to violence. The participants were then divided into two groups: 11 students had to simulate the role of prison guards, and 10 students the role of prisoners.

The participants signed a contract. Prisoners were guaranteed meals and medical care, but privacy and civil rights were not guaranteed. The guards were given the rules of the prison, in which they had to maintain order without violence. Everyone had a uniform that identified them as guards or prisoners. The prisoners were not allowed to call each other by name, but by an identification number. The planned duration of the experiment was 2 weeks.

Are you curious about what happened? At first, the participants mimicked their role, and in particular, the prisoners were defiant toward the guards. But after these first moments, the guards decided to keep order strictly; their aggressive behavior escalated. The guards humiliated and used punishments like push-ups to get respect. After one day, the situation was already out of control.

The experiment was interrupted on the sixth day. Prisoners began to feel depression, anger, tears, and crisis anxiety. Guards were passive, apathetic, and cruel.

But why did what was to be a "game" quickly turn into a brutal experience? During the experiment, participants lost their individuality, with just two groups: prisoners and guards. The group behaving differently from the individual. The psychologist Le Bon believes that in groups, people regress and turn to their instincts.

Zimbardo believes that anonymity affects the group (remember that prisoners could not be called by name?), and the diffusion of responsibility (whose fault is it? Researchers? Guards? Prisoners?). When we are in a group, we create a new identity that conflicts with other group identities.

Do you belong to a club or a group? Do you feel competitive with other groups?

If you want me to describe in my own words a topic of psychology, please request it in the comment section.

Cited sources: Zimbardo - Stanford prison experiment, you can read about it also on wikipedia page. Le Bon (1895) - The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind.