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Prison Experiment shows we are a product of our environment

© Dawn Williams

Most people believe they know themselves and know what they are capable of. They consider themselves to be basically good; they trust that in a crisis, their principles and inner strength will sustain them. Do you think you can trust yourself in any circumstances?

Think again. A classic experiment conducted at Stanford University presented strong evidence that the average person is not as self-directed as he might think. In fact, in extreme circumstances, some people will behave not according to their own values, but according to the roles assigned to them by the situation. In other words, they become products of their environment.

Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, a psychology professor at Stanford, staged an experiment in which normal, healthy young men were transformed in ways they never anticipated. Now known as the Stanford Prison Experiment, the impact of this 1971 study is still felt throughout the psychological community.

Zimbardo and his colleagues wondered what would happen when good people were put in a bad situation. His interest was in the power of roles, rules, and group identity, and the way these concepts influenced behavior. To study this effect, he designed a mock prison on the campus of Stanford University. Two dozen volunteers were chosen to participate in the experiment, based on scores on a battery of psychological tests. They were randomly assigned to be either prisoners or guards. Prisoners were "arrested" at their homes, booked at an actual jail, and transported to the campus prison.

The experiences these men were subjected to were designed to intensify the effect of their assigned roles. The guards were given a great deal of power and authority, in that they were told to maintain control over the prisoners but were left to decide precisely how that should be accomplished. The prisoners were subjected to procedures designed to humiliate them and diminish their sense of individuality.

The effects of these experiences were so profound that some subjects underwent significant personality changes during the course of the experiment. About a third of the guards became cruel, overbearing, and often abusive, while another third followed prison rules and meted out consequences without question, no matter how much suffering the prisoners endured. The prisoners became depressed, distrusting of each other, and compliant, no matter how badly they were treated.

Numerous books and articles have analyzed the results of the study, examining interpersonal dynamics and individual responses as they related to behavior in an institutional setting. However, we can draw useful conclusions about individual behavior in other groups as well, conclusions that can help us understand why some groups are productive and supportive, while others bring out the worst in us.

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