Analysis Of Prison Experiment By Philip Zimbardo

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. Prisoners were given the same wardrobe, stayed …show more content…
Techniques were used in prison experiment and in the society that we live, trying to exclude deviant behavior. Throughout the Stanford Prison Experiment there was a distinguishing aspect of how everyone was conforming to the roles due to rules being set in place by the guards and those in hierarchy position. In the previous paragraphs I mentioned wardrobe for both prisoners and guards, it is a prime example of the beginning stages of social control and degradation once you enter the prison system. They strip your outside identity away by taking your clothes, freedom and choices away, giving those incarcerated less of an identity and it will become easier molding them to fit society standards. When the guards are allowed an ounce of power they cannot control their actions and behaviors, it occurs in every occupation. Dr. Zimbardo roll was to act as the prison warden, but instead of him handling situations accordingly he overlooked the abusive behavior of the guards because they were receiving the reaction of conformity from the …show more content…
In numerous settings there are examples of penalties and or rewards for social conduct that relates to the rules of that society. With the development of sanctions, people are trying not to fall into the stigma of being shamed because they are behind or trying to achieve their own path. The use of sanctions were seen in video, for examples when prisoner 416 refused to eat his meals and begin his own hunger strike he was penalized with solitary confinement. Disobeying the guards in charge showed disobedience which would not be accepted in society, it is taught from a young age that you show respect to the authorities in the room. Another example would be when the fellow prisoners turned on prisoner 416 subjecting him to spend more time in solitary confinement closet, they were rewarded with keeping their blankets. Minimal thinking about others feelings went into their decision, selfish and uncaring at its finest. Sanctions were placed to minimize chaos within the system, you either get rewarded or penalized for a