Revelation of Stanford prison experiment

Bai Linlin

【Abstract】Stanford Prison Experiment is a famous psychological experiment, this paper describes the experimental characteristics of the content and conclusions, drawn inspiration for humanity.

【Key words】Stanford Prison Experiment; Lucifer effect; humanity

1. The Stanford prison experiment

Famous psychologist at Stanford university, former President of the American psychological association (APA) Philip Zimbardo did a famous Stanford prison experiment. Zimbardo put the building in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford converted into prison, for $15 a day, a group of students to participate in the experiment. These students had stability emotion, healthy body, law-abiding. The experimenter role for these students random distributed, parts as “guards”, another parts as “prisoners”.

In straight handsome khaki uniforms, chest hung a whistle, wearing dark sunglasses and waist with batons and handcuffs, the guards look absolutely can be spurious. But the people didn't have any special vocational training, how to be prison guards, they just seen from television, newspapers and magazines. Before experiment, Zimbardo identited nine guards to make the following requirements: Doing as much as possible close to the reality, but they can't use violence to maintain order in the prison. The guard's duty was to “maintain the prison law and order”.

But, just after the first day, the guards made a kind of punishment for the first time: A prisoner tidy bed was unqualified, and because of guards sharp words, immediately began to diffuse tensions. Then, some prisoners barricaded themselves in the cell of the room, were not willing to accept this domineering control. In the face of resistance, the guards had no concessions, and beat prisoners with a fire extinguisher, and locked up some prisoners for hours, some prisoners started crying. But it all came too fast! In the end, the experimental group had to let “tears prisoner” leave from the experiment.

Prisoners were no direct conflict, but tension was still rising. The punishment was more and more ingenious. They forced prisoners to play jump goat, as an insult. In addition, they had forced prisoners carrying two inmates do push-ups. Until the guards had a new trick, forcing two “prisoners” imitate animal mating. This greatly exceeded the limits of tolerance, while the researchers had to suspend experiment only six days which should implement two weeks.

2. Lucifer effect and its characteristics

2.1 The Lucifer effect

In the process of “the Stanford prison experiment”, Dr Zimbardo witnessed a shocking situation: In certain social situation, good man will have committed atrocities. The changes to one's character was what he called the “Lucifer effect” - god's most beloved angel Lucifer fell and became the first fallen angel, Lucifer was casted out of heaven in the end.

2.2 The characteristics of Lucifer effect

2.2.1 Remove personnel

Prisoner be coded, make the sense of belonging, as soon as possible to adapt to the collective life, adapt to life in prison.

2.2.2 Force each other to do simple repetitive movements, enhance each other's subject consciousness

At first, let the prisoner repeated number, fold the quilt, did push-ups. This is actually happened in armed forces all over the world. So soldiers will be easy controlled, you can also get unquestioning obedience, and convenient management.

2.2.3 Learned helplessness

Some prisoners applied for going out but were rejected in many times, so they accepted the reality, and became more silence, just mechanical compliance.

2.2.4 Mediocrity of evil

Before the experiment guards and prisoners were physical and psychological normally, ordinary college students did not have criminal records, their grouping was just by flipping a coin to decide .Cruel life is too easy to expose the evil of human nature, in the absence of law and moral pressure environment, numerous historical evidenced how ordinary people become animals within a few seconds.

2.2.5 Socialization

People will find positions in a set of organization, also the rules and the sense of belonging, recognition. So guards play as “guards”, prisoners play as “prisoners”.

3. Revelation of Stanford prison experiment

Zimbardo believed this result was caused by joint action of many factors. At the beginning of the experiment, experimental mentor had the absolute power to specify the boundaries of good and bad - guards and prisoners. As the powerful prison guards and correctional persons, through the duties of managing the prisoner, they made limits which refer to prisoners freedom, and they mastered the behavior of special disposal of prisoners will.

After experiment, “guards” said, “I feel weird... I let them call each others names, but also let them scrub the toilet by hand. I really put the ‘offender regarded as livestock, and I have to watch them, in case they do bad things.” prisoners only have the rights to respond - this “response” only have two choices: fight or submissive. The former, bringing punishment; the latter will result to the loss of autonomy and dignity. On the third day of the trial, “prisoners” actually began to believe which “guards” often said to them: they were really inferior and they can not change the status.

Humanity, after being tested, will find the environmental impact is so great. A lot of people at the beginning wanted to play as prisoner, because of easily. However, in the end prisoners were breakdown, or cried out, or became obedient persons. Guards also did not adapt to role at the beginning. In that environment, in that kind of position, no guarantee can be made to stick to their human nature.

What we can do, is to create a good environment, conducive to the growth of the people, for human nature to the right direction.

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作者簡介：白琳琳(1983-)，女，河南洛陽人，助教，主要研究方向：英語教學。