Acts of Evil Psychology Paper
Running head: Evil Acts of Power
Evil Acts of Power: An analysis of situational power
John Doe
Social Psychology 70705
Dr. Rafferti
Abstract Human beings are capable of performing acts of wonder such as creating symphonies, running miles in minutes, and sailing around the world. Humans are also capable of performing atrocities such as creating weapons of mass destruction, committing murders, and torture. A simplistic view of evil is that some people are just “bad apples” and that their actions are dispositional. However, there are many other factors that contribute to what makes people do evil acts. The social psychology concepts of obedience, power, and the fundamental attribution error are explored throughout this paper through case studies of the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Jonestown cult, and the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghriab.
Low Effort Thinking
Each day people encounter peers, family, and colleagues. Throughout different social circles and situations people evaluate situations and each other using their judgment. Although, we have high levels of information processing it is believed that most times judgments are inaccurate. The fundamental attribution error defined by Ross states that people have the tendency to overestimate dispositional causes and underestimate situation causes in affecting others behavior (1977). The overemphasis on the individual, and disregard for the situation is rampant in our society because of how individualistic America’s institutions are. America is seen as the land of opportunity, and any person is free to pursue whatever dream they may have. Meanwhile, the situational environments are disregarded aren’t given much thought because it is seen that people are who they are regardless of situational stimuli. The independence seen to motivate actions is biased at times because situational factors weigh heavier then the nature of a person.
People primarily use low effort thinking to guide their lasting perception
Evil Acts of Power: An analysis of situational power
John Doe
Social Psychology 70705
Dr. Rafferti
Abstract Human beings are capable of performing acts of wonder such as creating symphonies, running miles in minutes, and sailing around the world. Humans are also capable of performing atrocities such as creating weapons of mass destruction, committing murders, and torture. A simplistic view of evil is that some people are just “bad apples” and that their actions are dispositional. However, there are many other factors that contribute to what makes people do evil acts. The social psychology concepts of obedience, power, and the fundamental attribution error are explored throughout this paper through case studies of the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Jonestown cult, and the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghriab.
Low Effort Thinking
Each day people encounter peers, family, and colleagues. Throughout different social circles and situations people evaluate situations and each other using their judgment. Although, we have high levels of information processing it is believed that most times judgments are inaccurate. The fundamental attribution error defined by Ross states that people have the tendency to overestimate dispositional causes and underestimate situation causes in affecting others behavior (1977). The overemphasis on the individual, and disregard for the situation is rampant in our society because of how individualistic America’s institutions are. America is seen as the land of opportunity, and any person is free to pursue whatever dream they may have. Meanwhile, the situational environments are disregarded aren’t given much thought because it is seen that people are who they are regardless of situational stimuli. The independence seen to motivate actions is biased at times because situational factors weigh heavier then the nature of a person.
People primarily use low effort thinking to guide their lasting perception
References: Adams, G.B., Balfour, D.L., Reed, G.E. (2006). Abu Ghraib, administrative evil and moral intervention: The value of “putting cruelty first”. Public Administration Review. NY: Blackwell Currie, Elliot (1998). “Crime and punishment in America”. New York: Picador Garcia, A.L. (2009). The power of situations: Jonestown and the fundamental attribution error. Teaching of psychology,36: 108-112. Taylor and Francis Group. Lind, N.S., Stegar, M.B. (1999). Violence and its alternatives: An interdisciplinary reader. Palgrave-Macmillion. Zimbardo, P.G. (1975). The Stanford prison experiment. Adapted from “Transforming resarach into advocacy for social change,” in M. Deutsch and H. Hornstein (Eds.) Applied psychology: Implications for research, practice, and training (pp. 33-66). Hillside NJ: Earlbaum Zimbardo, P.G. (2004). A Situationist perspective on the psychology of evil: Understanding how good people are transformed into perpetrators. In Miller A. (Eds.), The social psychology of good and evil: Understanding our capacity for kindness and cruelty. New York: Guilford