Standford Prison Responses
Yes, you all brought up several salient points from this video: The quickness of the turn in attitude by, especially, the guards; the role of stripping someone of his individuality (both “prisoners” and “guards”) and how this affects both groups; the affects of specific pieces of clothing (sunglasses for the guards, ill-fitting clothing and blindfolds for prisoners) the difference from being inside of a situation versus being an “outsider” (as the girlfriend); the question as to who should be responsible for calling off an experiment gone out of control (crossed the ethical line) and if there should be an outside, uninterested party overseeing the experiment (the point that Zimbardo, himself, seems to forget his initial intent/role); the question as to why so-called normally compassionate people become insensitive and violent; the affect of one’s surroundings on one’s behavior (if one feels oneself in a prison, does one begin to act accordingly?); the question of the right of a participant to leave a situation that he has agreed to, but that has become very uncomfortable, and even unethical (and this brings up questions for the soldier, as well); the question as to whether a compassionate leader (“good guard”) necessarily commands less respect than a strict, much more rigid leader; how much an individual is affected by the actions of his/her own group.
We will continue this discussion in class on Wed., and Russell’s Lecture 5 (don’t forget to bring your books!