Tiffany 10 - The Stanford Prison Experiment
This experiment produced very interesting results and proved a lot about human nature. Before the experiment took place, the two dozen men that participated were just normal, civilized people that volunteered to take a part in an experiment that would pay them $15/hour. After only a couple of days into the experiment, the guards started taking their roles very seriously and did not hold back in making the prisoners do grueling exercises, clean toilets with their bare hands, and inflict harsh physical punishment onto them.
The guards in this experiment, just days before the experiment started, were everyday men. But once they were placed in the role of being a prison guard and tasked with the role to keep the prisoners in check, they reveled in their newfound power and decided to abuse it. Many admitted after the experiment that they forgot that they were even in an experiment because they were so in the character of their role.
This experiment demonstrates what power can do to people. Once given an overwhelming amount of power over others, people start to get corrupt and abuse the power for their own gain. This can be seen a lot outside of this experiment in the real world, ranging from world leaders and politicians to even parents and teachers. Power can be a dangerous thing and can corrupt people if given too much of it.
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Hello Tiffany! I hadn’t actually heard of the Stanford prison experiment before and I have to say that it sounds rather unethical to me because of how it seems to be structured. But it is interesting and it really does show how much a perceived power dynamic can affect the actual treatment of people by other people. What is really scary is that according to what you’ve said the changes were really quick and it really makes you wonder about the real stability behind any human nature.
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany! This experiment was truly fascinating to read about and genuinely shows the simplistic nature of humans. When we’re given something of value, or something that we don’t have, but desire, we hold on to it. In this case, this desired material is power, something these ordinary people don't have over matters in their ordinary daily lives. Similarly it’s interesting to notice that the ordinary men, who take the presumed role of a guard, fully utilize the power they are given. They exercise their control over the prisoners, simply because they can and have desired for it for too long. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe Stanford Prison experiment is one of those sociological and psychological phenomenons that is understood but almost unbelievable. It is so interesting to dissect how these people sank into their roles, to the point of forgetting who they were previously, after just a few days. I think this shows, in some capacity, how these types of institutions function. People, previously deviant and aggressive, immediately shot into a place of submission and acceptance that they are less than. It makes you wonder if these were people who knew this was an experiment, how demoralizing and destructive these institutions must be to the people who are actually submitted to them.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, this was a startling read for me. Unlike the starting phrase of your blog, I did not know about the Stanford Prison Experiment until now. Reading about how this was allowed in the first is shocking to me. Even more, is how just in a couple days ordinary men abused their newfound power to treat people, who are just like them and have done nothing wrong, with no respect. You are right; it is in human nature that when given power we abuse it. We do not stay humble with that power but use it to influence others and most of the time it in a negative way. This experiment reinforced the fact of why people in power are so powerful and why we need to distribute that power.
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany, this Stanford Prison Experiment is really eye-opening. I cannot comprehend how everyday human individuals can forget the essence of morality in their own characters once they are given power over others. I would state with certainty right now that if I was appointed as a guard, I would not do anything similar to that; however, I feel like that is what those men also had said, right before they turned into the cruel abusers you described them as. This experiment really is shocking to me, and I am almost afraid to accept this disturbing fact about human psychology.
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany! I actually haven't heard of this experiment before, but it really does say a lot about human nature. I really don't think that we were designed to be able to handle too much power. It was very shocking to think that ordinary people could inflict such cruelty onto others. But what's more scary is that people got "lost" in their roles. This really goes to show that power corrupts and almost consumes our sense of self. It is hard for us to gain more power than we normally had and not let it influence ourselves in any way. It is also interesting to think of why exactly this happened. Perhaps people who were ordinary desired power, and that was why they were able to become immersed in their roles when given it and the chance to influence others.
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffany, this is really interesting as it teaches us a lot about this possible side of human nature. I used to think it was hard to believe that this drastic change in behavior occurred within such a short period of time, but now that I have paid more attention to people in power in society as I grew older, I realized the results, although are pretty extreme, similarly mirror in a way how corrupt people can be when they reach a position of power. This also makes me wonder how I would act if I was placed in this experiment as a guard. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany! I have heard of the Stanford prison experiment mentioned last year in English when we discussed the power struggle in Lord of the Flies. I think it is super surprising that such a simple experiment that sounds completely harmless can go so wrong. This experiment definitely shows the negative effects of power and how power can lead to corruption. This experiment is also referenced frequently today to discuss the danger of power. For example, in Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack shared a similar instance where one tried to dominate the other.
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany, the experiment your blog revolved around was very interesting and before reading it, I never truly understood how power and domination had such a great impact on humans and those around them. It is very unfortunate for the prisoners who had to perform horrible tasks and be in constant fear of being punished even though they were innocent of any crimes. I do wonder however, how women would act if they were put in this experiment rather than men. Would they be more sympathetic to the prisoners,or would they do the same as the men and abuse the powers that they received?
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