The Stanford Prison Study

In 1971, a study took place. Now it’s known as The Stanford Prison Experiment. The general purpose of this experiment was to see developmental relations and characteristics between guards and prisoners in the prison system. The author aimed to find out what fueled rage in inmates and what makes them lash out in aggression. Why there are riots, murders, rape and theft. 22 subjects that participated in the experiment were picked out of 75 people who answered a newspaper ad asking for male volunteers to join in a psychological study of “prison life.” Volunteers were offered 15 dollars a day to be randomly selected as either a prison guard or a prisoner. The subjects themselves were interviewed by one or two interviewers to be deemed mentally stable enough to participate in the study. They were normal, healthy, males who were in the Stanford area during the summer that year. The prisoners would have to be incarcerated for a maximum of two weeks and have most of their rights taken from them. It was taken place in the basement of Stanford University Psychology building. In the basement corridor of the building, a 35-foot section was turned into a mock prison. A couple of fabricated walls, one fitted with an entrance door to the cell block. 3 small cell blocks that …show more content…
Both guards and prisoners reported that the experience was much more negative than positive. Prisoners definitely became disassociated with themselves. Half of them reported they did endure the oppressive atmosphere. Some of them were better able to cope with the situation and manage it better. When the experiment ended, the prisoners were visibly happy to be released. They were joyful and exited that it was over. On the other hand, some of the guards were not ready for it to be over and must have enjoyed the sense of empowerment over the prisoners. In fact, one of the guard volunteered to work over-time without extra