Essay Example about Stanford Prison Experiment

In 1971, Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist who was classmates with Stanley Milgram, and some of his colleagues created an experiment that looked how it impacted people who became either prisoners or a prison guard. This experiment is known as the Stanford Prison Experiment and this study is one of the most well-known as well as controversial in history. By reviewing the Stanford Prison Experiment that was conducted by Phillip Zimbardo, it is possible to summarize the experiment, review the data and analysis, discuss the ethical issues, and highlight the implications of the study.

Summary of Experiment

Zimbardo wanted to expand on Milgram’s The Stanford Prison Experiment which took place in the basement of the Psychology Department at Stanford University in 1971. Young men were picked from an advertisement and divided into two groups: prisoners and prison guards. The study was intended to last two weeks but due to the guards being brutal and the prisoner’s suffering was so intense it ended after six days.

The experiment took paid participants and assigned them prisoners or guards in a prison-like setting at Stanford University. Here’s how the first day went according to Zimbardo, “....the prisoners were not yet completely into their roles and were not taking it too seriously. They were still trying to assert their independence. The guards, on the other hand, were also feeling out their new roles of asserting some authority over their prisoners.” Soon the guards would mistreat the prisoners which implies that evil is brought out in circumstances. Innocent people thrown into a situation where they have power over other people tend to abuse that power. On the other side, the people who were powerless were submitted to submission. The experiment was meant to investigate the response people develop when they are exposed to different environments than what they are used to.

Method

Seventy-five men applied to an advertisement to participate in a prison experiment and twenty-four men were selected based on their mental abilities and stabilites. On August 14th, 1971, twelve of the men that were deemed “prisoners” were arrested at their home and taken to the basement of the Stanford University. The “prison” was lab rooms with special doors and boarded on both sides. According to Zimbardo(pg 4), “Each prisoner is searched and then systematically stripped naked. He is then deloused, a procedure designed in part to humiliate him..”. The prisoners were required to wear a uniform, a number they had to be referred to, shackles on their feet, and a nylon stocking on their head.

The guards were given no specific instructions or training. They were free to do whatever they thought was necessary to keep law and order in the prison. The guards came up with their own set of rules. The guard’s uniforms were khakis, a billy club, a whistle, and sun-glasses. The experiment began with only nine guards and nine prisoners in the jail. There were three guards working three eight-hour shifts and three prisoners in each cell. 

Data

The guards quickly got into their roles. Within a couple of days, the guards cut off food supply, bathroom use, wouldn’t let prisoners wear underwear, and even used force at times. Day two there was a “rebellion” where the prisoners mocked the guards and didn’t leave their cells and this caused the guards to use fire extinguishers to force them away from the door which led them to be able to enter their cells. After the guards entered they stripped the prisoners naked and took their beds. The next day was visitation day, so the guards cleaned up the prisoners and gave them food in fear that they took it too far. Prisoner #8612 was the first to break down on day three and it continued to get worse. The sixth day, the experiment was canceled due to how far things got out of control.

Analysis 

The results of the prisoners were that healthy participants suffered intense emotional distress. The experiment had to end early, the prisoners listened without any problems, the distress was caused by having the sense of being powerless due to the guards force. What they got from the experiment was that there is evil in evil in everyone and it takes certain circumstances to bring it out.

Ethical Issues

The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most controversial studies in psychology. It was highly unethical. If you see some of the videos recorded it was horrible how the prisoners were treated and must’ve been very traumatic. Another issue was that there was deception around their consent. The prisoners never consented to being arrested at their home and being degraded was not explained at all in their briefing. There was also no protection from harm either psychologically or physically. According to Cherry, “ More recent examination of the experiment’s archives and interviews with participants have revealed major issues with the research’s design, methods and procedures…”. 

Implications of Study

The experiment was widely cited in textbooks. The Stanford Prison Experiment was one of the most dramatic ways to show how good people can turn into evil people and healthy individuals can experience pathological reactions. The experiment demonstrated the power that societal roles and expectations play in a person’s behavior. While back then his findings were terrifying what humans could be capable of. This study also allowed the advancement of the understanding of the psychological community. According to Britannica it states, “When it came to the torture done at Abu Ghraib or the Rape of Nanjing in China, Zimbardo’s findings allowed for psychologists to understand the evil behavior as a situtional occurence and not always a dispositional one."