Essay On Stanford Prison Experiment

The authors of this research are three psychologists from Stanford University. Their main purpose is to observe the behavior between guards and prisoners in a simulated environment, and whether or not a prison environment aided in rehabilitating inmates, or increased the possibility of violent behavior. Their formal hypothesis was that an assignment to either role of prisoner or guard would result in significantly different reactions on behavioral measures of interaction, emotional measures of mood state and pathology, attitudes toward self, as well as other indices of coping and adaptation.

The participants from this study were chosen to be as average as the population can produce, with no history of medical/ or mental health problems,no history

The participants were vetted through questionnaires, medical history, as well as interviews with one of the experimenters. Subjects that were found to be most stable, physically and mentally were selected. Upon selection, the participants were randomly assigned the role of “prisoner” or “guard”, they were divided in half, leaving 10 prisoners to 11 guards, (the last participant decided to not continue with the study). They were each explained that they were to assume either role for the next 2 weeks. Guards were briefed in an “orientation” meeting, held by a “Supervisor and Warden” on the rules of incarceration as well as determined their own rules which would allow them to adhere as closely as possible to the job requirements. Prisoners were informed that they would be required to remain on premises 24 hours a day until the end of the study. Both guards and prisoners were given uniforms to identify their roles. Guards wore khaki pants and polos as

Prisoners are ridiculed and dehumanized by guards which in turn makes them more complacent to the guards requests. This further fuels a guards sense of control and encourages the guards to continue employing degrading tactics to maintain the prisoners under their idea of ‘control’. This simulation reached astonishing conclusions even under minimally simulated conditions. An actual prison environment is subjected to a higher threat of violence or even death, as well as homosexual assault and physical aggression from guards. In a real prison environment, the prisoners are more likely suffering from either more traumatic psychological damages or are subject to a “numbness” in which they simply stop behaving because their behavior does not directly influence their environment, for example a guard harassing an inmate whether or not he is complying with the requests of the guard, regardless of the inmate 's behavior, he will be the subject of ridicule, this propagates the mentality that it is just better to do