Essay On The Zimbardo Experiment

The Zimbardo experiment was a study aimed at finding out whether the brutality among guards in American prisons were due to the sadistic personalities of the prison guards or had more to do with the prison environment. The study concluded that people will eagerly conform to their social roles they are expected to play especially if the roles are strongly stereotyped as those of prison guards.

An example of a similar experience can be seen in the secondary school I attended a few years ago. It was a highly structured and regimented boarding school where students had to adhere to the strict rules and comply to those in power such as teachers, prefects and older students. There was also a lack of adults on the school premises which was why's …show more content…
For years they have both been deemed as dictators. The reason for the behaviour of both the prefects and the younger students can best be explained using the situationist theory and interactionism. As prefects, the situation we were in played a large role in the personality and behaviour we displayed. We were put in a powerful social setting which made us feel like we had to live up to the expectations of the stereotypes which had been formed. We were given power with little to no restraints which allowed us to dehumanize and degrade the younger students. We felt the pressure from our teachers to not only display how powerful we were. However, to become a prefect, students had the choice to apply or not. Therefore, it could also be said self selection component of interactionism played a role. Carnahan and McFarland argue thy individuals selectively volunteer for psychological studies that appear to fit their personality. In the contexts of prefects, it could be argued that we chose to apply for the position because it aligned with our personalities. This observation could also serve an an explanation as to why we behaved as oppressors to the younger