The Stanford Prison Study, Research Paper Example

Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a psychology professor, did an experiment on prison environments to outline and demonstrate more on psychological mechanisms with relation to prison environments. Also, it aimed at investigating how correctional centers work. However, the experiment was not successful, because, the number of days stipulated for the study was stopped after six days. As a young boy, he grew up in the ghetto where he saw many of his close friends engaging in acts of violence and drug abuse, ending up in jail. What fascinated him most is why good people engage in doing bad things (McLeod, 2008). As a result, he came concluded that the social environment contributes greatly to character development of individuals. Therefore, asserts that a bad environment poisons people living in that surrounding.

Zimbardo’s findings on the study are similar and apply to current living conditions in the society. Individuals of a given society are treating each other with atrociously. Majority of the people are wealthy and remorse, looking down on the less privileged members. Cruel treatment of leaders to neighboring countries is also an example of injustices performed to individuals in the society. It is evident that people conform to societal roles stereotyped to them for instance, the prison guards (Haney, Banks, & Zimbardo, 1973, p. 9).

Consequently, roles played by people in the society shape their behavior and attitudes. Theories developed in this study demonstrated how individual personalities, easily swamped by power and authority (Carnahan & McFarland, 2007, p. 607). In today’s society, this is evident with the fact that leaders are misusing their power roles by being bias to other members of the society. The poor in most States are deprived of their rights and privileges and thus, engage in wrongful acts, to make ends meet. Another example portraying the same condition of vindictiveness and merciless acts is that of Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. Prisoners face hostile conditions, and this should be stopped because prisons aim at correcting mistakes of individuals.

In summary, the experiment was able to identify how power and stereotype roles contribute to attitude and behavior in individuals. Unethical behaviors connected to individuals in the society should not be ascribed to the environment. Also, it is not always true to assume that bad people are as a result of bad environments because; sometimes it is circumstances that force individuals to commit and engage in criminal acts.

References

Carnahan, T. & McFarland, S. (2007). Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment: Could Participant Self-Selection Have Led to the Cruelty? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(5), 603-614.

Haney, C., Banks, W. & Zimbardo, P. (1973). A study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison. Naval Research Review, 30, 4-17.

McLeod, S. (2008). Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment. Social Psychology.