After witnessing the blank expression, another question is raised about conformity and social control. It was as though a flat emotion affect had settled in to the prison guards, all had to appear in control and dominant. In a discussion, character Sergeant Wickersham, quoted “while everyone knows that prison can warp or distort the personalities of prisoners, few stop to consider how it can do the same to those who work inside” (Conover, 2001, p.107). Wickersham raises the question of social control theory- how an individual can enter the building one way and exit the building feeling opposite.…
On the surface, the Litchfield Prison system is extremely dysfunctional, does not provide any structure or regimen for the inmates to follow, and does not serve any purpose in reshaping the inmates, much like any other prison system. From the illegal trafficking of contraband, to the unlawful rape that occurs between the inmates and guards, to the disheartening stereotypical slurs constantly heard throughout the prison, Litchfield Penitentiary does not seem like a place for bettering one’s self. Functionalism defines society as having different functions that are necessary to sustain the society, and without these functions, society would not be able to operate normally. Therefore, functionalism would look at the prison displayed in Orange…
How does having power corrupt people? Well having power gives people advantage of what they want to do and have power over people. The people in the “ Man in the well “ and the people from the “ The Stanford prison experiment “. I will be explaining how the power corrupted the people in both of these stories. The people both have people in the story that have power.…
Power turns abusive because of human’s innate relationship with this mixed blessing. Throughout time, humans have had uniform ways in their desire for power and the way that they follow those who are in a position of power. The consistency prevalent throughout all regions of the world over the course of history is reflective of how all humans share a natural response when called to follow power and similarly in their aspiration for it. A human’s desire for power is a characteristic that remains universal.…
This incident made Mark feel as if he had no control or say in the situation unless he wanted to face the punishments of his superiors. This feeling can lead to ex-offenders having difficulties reintegrating into society such as having “difficulty in accessing the self-motivation required for free world life” or the feeling that they do not have any control of their life, especially for someone like them who is looked upon by society (Chesla & Marlow, 2009). As an inmate resides within correctional facility walls, aggression is prone to develop in order to adapt to prison life. Mathew, a 44 year old African American became an aggressor because that was his only way to be respected by others in the facility.…
They began tormenting the prisoners, subjecting them to humiliating tasks, as well as verbal and physical punishments. The abuse quickly became so severe that Zimbardo prematurely terminated the study after only six days. The Stanford Prison experiment exemplifies how, given unrestrained power and with the group dynamics of groupthink and group polarization at play, good men can be lead to commit evil actions very…
In 1971, a social psychologist by the name of Phillip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford Prison Study. Zimbardo researched the Abu Ghraib Prison problem took place in Iraq in 2003 and was made aware to the United States citizens in 2004. In fact, “the driving force behind this book was the need to better understand the how and why of the physical and psychological abuses perpetrated on the prisoners by American Military at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq.” (Zimbardo 2007, p. 18) Zimbardo expressed that he believes we’re all capable of evil and uses several examples to back up his situational theory.…
In the “Stanford Prison Study,” students were affected by institutional forces of the prison system. Even though all students were of healthy, normal and stable mental capacities, they took to the roles “inmate” and “guard” without prejudice. The inmates became disturbed, but more surprising is how the guards became violent and brutal, inflicting physical force and harassment. Outside the experiment, students wouldn’t have forced an individual to do something against their will.…
Critical evaluation of “Rethinking the psychology of tyranny: The BBC prison study” This essay will try to illustrate what are the strengths and the weaknesses of Reicher and Haslam’s experiment and whether the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. Indeed, both researchers came together to understand how individuals can accept, in a group environment, behaviours that are tyrannical whether the individual is the one who inflicts it or undergoes it (Reicher & Haslam, 2006). This experiment, base its research on Zimbardo’s prison experiment. However, it is not a replicate of The Stanford prison experiment (SPE) for different matters. Firstly, Reicher and Haslam aim at creating an experiment that is ethical, with reliable data and that extends the…
The Fight for Power Power has the ability to manipulate others and can change their view. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, manipulation is shown in various situations throughout the mental asylum. Firstly, McMurphy manipulates the system of the mental hospital by using Dr.Spivey, who is unaware of what is happening. Secondly, Nurse Ratched is demonstrating manipulation in the way she convinces and treats the other patients in the ward. Lastly, manipulation is shown when McMurphy is trying to scare a gas station attendant by saying that mentally insane people are coming and by the attendants try to manipulate the patients to buy the more expensive gas.…
In 1973, Philip Zimbardo, a professor of psychology at Stanford University conducted a summer experiment showing how humans in would react towards being in closed in a prison environment. He recruited college students and offered to pay them, too many it was more interesting than a summer job. The experiment was supposed to continue for two weeks and the participants would be divided into two group’s containing prisoners and guards. As volunteering prisoners of this experiment they would have to get use to their privacy being violated, as well as being harassed. Zimbardo’s wanted to find out the how long it would take for the prisoners and guards to conform to the roles they were classified as.…
“Power is dangerous, it attracts the worst and corrupts the best” Edward Abbey once said on how addictive power can be. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates how the lust for power can make anyone lose their identity in order to achieve power. Because of the desire for power, people will betray anyone in their way, even if they’re close. They disregard their conscience, which leads to immense guilt, thus a part of their humanity is stripped away. In addition, power makes people greedy.…
TOTAL INSTITUTIONS Umass Boston has similar characteristics as those seen in Zimbardo and Asylum. Goffman in his book, he talks of 'the Asylum ' as a mental institution which is like a prison and 'total ' in its aim to shape, define and repress their peoples’ self. It portrays some similarity with Boston where most people adopt behaviors that their peers have. People of different cultures converge there but end up having similar behaviors. Another similarity is that most higher learning institutions have one major purpose which is to educate.…
The Stanford Prison Experiment (August 1971) was conducted by Philip Zimbardo and his peers at Stanford University to investigate the effects of 24 physically and mentally healthy male college students becoming guards or prisoners. One of the key elements present throughout the experiment was deindividuation, the loss of one’s sense of individuality. In deindividuation, the social identity consumes an individual completely in order for group norms to be maximally accessible. The central question of this report is, how can the events of the Stanford Prison Experiment be explained through the theory of deindividuation?…
“If a man can only obey and not disobey, he is a slave; if he can only disobey and not obey, he is a rebel” (Fromm 125). Obedience is a trait that parents instill in children to keep them safe and out of trouble. Throughout life, people realize obedience is not always the answer; however, ruling out obeying as a whole is counterproductive. In “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, Erich Fromm claims people fear authority, yet wish to climb the ladder to reach maximum power. In contrast, “The Stanford Prison Experiment” by Philip G. Zimbardo depicts individuals who are in charge of others, however, hate the ease in which individuals shove their morals aside.…