The Stanford Prison Experiment

by Tara Bell

At the start of Year 12, I began Psychology lessons, in which I was given a psychologist to research- Philip Zimbardo. This provoked my curiosity in the Stanford Prison Experiment, which caused me to reflect on how people act in varying situations. 

This experiment was conducted in 1971, and the purpose was to “understand the development of norms and the effects of roles in a stimulated prison environment”. Zimbardo turned the Stanford University basement into a mock prison. 75 male students applied, but 24 were chosen as they possessed the highest mental and physical stability, and none of them knew each other prior to the experiment. After 3 men dropped out, 11 were chosen as ‘guards’ and given a uniform, whistle, club and sunglasses in order to maximise their aura of authority. Additionally, 10 were chosen as ‘prisoners’ who were blindfolded, stripped, given a uniform and referred to by number- thus reducing any sense of identity and portraying them as inferior. The participants got $15 per day. The experiment stopped after 6 instead of 14 days, as the participants quickly conformed to their given roles. The ‘guards’ were unjustly abusive, despite the fact that physical assault was forbidden. This induced stress and anxiety in the ‘prisoners’, who completely lost any sense of identity.

This overall enabled Zimbardo to come to the conclusion that the “line between good and evil is permeable, anyone can cross it when pressured by situational forces”. I found this very eye opening, to the extent I began to question how my morals may vary in different environments, such that my vocabulary or sense of humour might differ if I was with my friends as opposed to my family. I find it interesting that “Human behaviour is incredibly pliable”, and although I will never be put in such an extreme situation as the setting from which this statement was made, I will now be more aware of situational variables and how they could affect people’s attitudes.