Ariana Lee
How does being blindfolded affect the prisoners?
The prisoners were caught off guard when they were first arrested. Afterwards, they were suddenly blindfolded and brought to an unknown place. These prisoners were unclear of where they were taken to, but they knew it was not a safe place. The moment they were blindfolded, they became more anxious because one of their main senses was taken away. Being blindfolded made them handicapped in various ways, such as giving into the prison guards’ demands to strip fully, move a certain way, and etc. They were forced to accept and do whatever was asked of them because they could not see and fully access the situation around them. Blindfolds stir up negative emotions of uneasiness, uncertainty, and anxiety.
How did the prison superintendent’s refusal to let any anyone leave affect the prisoners psychologically?
At this point of the experiment, the prisoners were already feeling stressed and humiliated. They wanted to leave because the prison guards became more rough and dangerous. Their only hope was seeking out the prison superintendent, who towards them seemed more understanding than the prison guards, to leave the experiment. However, he refused their request and this became a major turning point in the Stanford experiment. This forced prisoners to develop a plan of becoming excessively distressed (almost crazy) to be released, except these “fake” emotions unconsciously became reality. There was an excessive amount of cursing and helplessness that it seemed as if they needed to see a doctor immediately. This gradually escalated to the prisoners to accept and give in completely to the dominance of the prison guards; prisoners were breaking down and were losing their identity.
Johnson Liang
- How do the uniforms of guard and prisoner reinforce the role they were meant to play in the experiment?
- The black sunglasses, khaki pants and night stick instilled a new identity into the participants. One of the former experiment guards, Dave Eshleman recalled putting together that the experiment was one that involved of the relationship between prisoner and guard. So he, as an arrogant 18 year old, used this new role given to him, to the fullest to further provide results. The uniform itself gave him power and emphasized his arrogant personality. He gave form to this new role by abusing his power, torturing the prisoners physically and mentally. These abuses reinforced their new identity as guards. The prisoners wore white robes and were forced into degrading acts like cleaning toilets with their bare hands. They rebelled against the guards, used profanity, and created an image of distortion within their minds that, they were indeed actual prisoners.
- Besides the guards and prisoners, who else was a participant of the experiment?
- Philip Zimbardo was a participant of the experiment despite not realizing this. His identity was the superintendent. He had absolute power over both guards and prisoners. When one of the prisoners asked to leave, Zimbardo told him to reconsider. This was not a “no” in the eyes of Zimbardo. but to the prisoner, it was a refusal. This reinforced the identities of guard and prisoner because the superintendent turned a blind eye towards the brutality in the experiment. Zimbardo himself, displayed the abuse of power all for the sake of his personal gain, which were the results of the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Damilola Babarinde
- If you were a guard, how would you act in the experiment?
– If I was a guard, I would be a guard that wouldn’t tolerate nonsense, but while doing what I have to go to make sure everything is smooth-sailing, I’ll try not to infringe on the rights of the inmates. I’d try my best to be a good guard although it’s a difficult task since people in authority tend to be oblivious to when they are misusing their power. After the experiment, I think the prisoners would’ve hated the guards so much because they treated them poorly even though they were innocent. The guards would’ve probably felt bad and stupid for their actions because after they’ve taken off their guard uniform, their authoritative power left as well and they realize that they were all equal and innocent.
- How can you explain the actions of the “good guards”?
– The “good guards” were probably intimidated by their peers since the “good guards” were less authoritative than the “bad guards.” In addition, the good guards might have feared the retaliation from the bad guards. I think an important factor in why the prisoners attributed guard brutality to the guards’ character instead of the situation was because the subjects knew it was an experiment and in that experiments we see that there are two types of guards. The prisoners haven’t committed any crime; yet guards were treating them poorly.