The Stanford Prison Experiment: What Happens When Good People Turn Evil?

The Stanford Prison Experiment What happens when good people turn evil? That was the question asked when Dr. Philip Zimbardo wanted to conduct a new experiment about just that. He wanted to show the world just how crazy people can get while given roles of authority. Never in a million years though, did he think that this study could become one of the most iconic experiments ever. This experiment basically let boys run wild and humiliate each other. Sadism and degradation play a big role in this study unintentionally. Understanding how good people turn evil may be hard to do before hearing about this experiment, but afterwards you won’t have to ask that question anymore. The Stanford Prison Experiment highlights what happens when humans get

Prisoner #819 felt sick, refused to eat, and wanted more sleep so he was the only boy who chose not to speak with him. Zimbardo asked Guard Arnett to encourage #819 to take a few minutes to talk with the priest and eventually he agreed. Prisoner Stew-819, to say the least, looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes and uncombed hair going in what seemed every direction. That morning Stew-819 did a bad thing: during an outburst of rage, he messed up his cell, tearing open his pillow and throwing feathers everywhere. Like other inmates before, he was put in the Hole and his cellmates had to clean up the mess. During his chat with the priest he broke down and began to cry hysterically just as #8612 did. While trying to comfort him, Zimbardo let him take a time-out outside of the Yard. To reassure him Dr. Zimbardo said that he would get him some food and then take him to see a doctor, but #819 refused to leave, saying that he wants to carry on with the experiment. Dr. Zimbardo seems convinced enough and leaves the room to let Stew-819 rest for a little bit. When he was walking back to his office he heard an eruption coming from the Yard. Guard Arnett made the prisoners line up and had them chant “Prisoner 819 did a bad thing”, “Prisoner 819 is being punished”, “Because of the bad things that Prisoner 819 did, my cell is a mess.” When Zimbardo heard this he rushed back to the room that #819 was in and found him “hunched over into a quivering mass, hysterical.” (Zimbardo 107) while in the background his fellow inmates were yelling that he was a bad prisoner. Stew-819 refused to leave after Zimbardo suggested it; he said that he couldn’t leave because the other prisoners labeled him a bad prisoner. At this point Zimbardo said “Listen carefully to me, now, you’re not 819. You are Stewart, and my name is Dr. Zimbardo. I am a psychologist, not a prison superintendent, and