Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, author of "The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism," states that everyone is subjected to be a possible torturer (Szegedy-Maszak 76). Szegedy-Maszak asserts, the "unconscionable acts" committed by the Abu Ghraib were likely caused by "the anxiety and helplessness" of their horrific living conditions (Szegedy-Maszak 76). Philip G. Zimbardo, author of "The Stanford Prison Experiment," attempts to clarify the reasoning and motivation behind the sadistic acts in situations similar to the Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal. Zimbardo conducted a study where twenty-one male college students were paid fifteen dollars a day to participate in a, "mock prison," to study the psychological behavior projected from a simulated prison
…show more content…
In the 1992 movie, A Few Good Men, Colonel Jessup experiences a similar increase in power of authority. As a result of this up rise in power, Jessup orders Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey to inflict a Code Red on Pfc. William T. Santiago because of his failures in multiple performances and as a result, was killed. Through extensive research and evaluation, both Szegedy-Maszak and Zimbardo propose an explanation as to why authorities such as Colonel Jessup often assume that they are in possession of the entitlement necessary to take matters into their own hands when administered under stressful and difficult …show more content…
When people are of greater entitlement than those surrounding them, they sense themselves to be in power; therefore, they take advantage of the ones lesser than them because they assume no one of higher jurisdiction is monitoring their actions. Colonel Jessup outranked everyone in the Guantanamo Bay; should he fall short of the standards as a Marine, there was no one to correct his mistakes. One may assume that Jessup acted in a way to which he desired, due to the fact he was of higher authority. When indviduals view others as higher jurisdiction, they are more likely to obey. If this is true, regardless of the demand from the superior, many people in today’s society are likely to obey. Associate Professor of Psychology at Baylor University, Dr. Jo-ann Tsang, author of "Moral Rationalization and the Integration of Situational Factors and Psychological Processes in Immoral Behavior," states that even though some commands are thought to be unethical, people receiving commands from higher
In the 1992 movie, A Few Good Men, Colonel Jessup experiences a similar increase in power of authority. As a result of this up rise in power, Jessup orders Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey to inflict a Code Red on Pfc. William T. Santiago because of his failures in multiple performances and as a result, was killed. Through extensive research and evaluation, both Szegedy-Maszak and Zimbardo propose an explanation as to why authorities such as Colonel Jessup often assume that they are in possession of the entitlement necessary to take matters into their own hands when administered under stressful and difficult …show more content…
When people are of greater entitlement than those surrounding them, they sense themselves to be in power; therefore, they take advantage of the ones lesser than them because they assume no one of higher jurisdiction is monitoring their actions. Colonel Jessup outranked everyone in the Guantanamo Bay; should he fall short of the standards as a Marine, there was no one to correct his mistakes. One may assume that Jessup acted in a way to which he desired, due to the fact he was of higher authority. When indviduals view others as higher jurisdiction, they are more likely to obey. If this is true, regardless of the demand from the superior, many people in today’s society are likely to obey. Associate Professor of Psychology at Baylor University, Dr. Jo-ann Tsang, author of "Moral Rationalization and the Integration of Situational Factors and Psychological Processes in Immoral Behavior," states that even though some commands are thought to be unethical, people receiving commands from higher