Obedience To Authority Summary

In 1971, Philip George Zimbardo—psychologist and professor at Stanford University conducted prison experiment to test the effect of situations. In contrast with prediction as lengthy and boring, the experiment’s result shocked the world. The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) has indicated the significant power of roles, or situations, on human behaviors; thus, brings about many influences on society. According to Zimbardo in “ Obedience to Authority,” he asked the students during the spring term to reverse role and lecture him a topic that would interest him. One group of students, led by David Jeffe, decided to do a lecture on the psychology of imprisonment, and they spent the weekend before presentation in a mock prison learning session.
Rather, it’s a story about the major—about how everyone who had some contact with the prison study (participants, researchers, observers, consultants, family, and friends) got so completely sucked into it” (217). She also claimed that the reason she was different from other researchers and managed to intervene timely was that she participated the experiment at later point (218). Mc Leod believed that one of the reason for the quick effects observed was due to de-individuation process. The guards were following group norms and thus lost their sense of personal responsibility, resulting in their sadistic behaviors. Craig Haney, one of Zimbardo’s partners, said in the book “ Obedience to Authority” that “the ambiguity of their role is a curse rather a blessing, because they must exist in environment in which the institutional definition of who you are is all that others have to rely on in gauging their interactions with you” (227). Also, the SPE significantly indicate the power of situation and environment on human behaviors. The prisoners and guards were randomly assigned. Thus, their different attitudes could only be due to the different situation, or role, that they were in (Richard 175). Craig said he used to interview all prisoners and guards, who he had developed some kind of connections. However, right
According to Zimbardo in “Obedience to Authority,” the study became the model of “power of situation,” being the guideline for other psychological research on this effect (212). Also, Craig said as he went on learning about prison effect on human behavior after SPE, he noticed the remarkable change in the institution system. The concern about prison life as well as legal punishment were raised; in fact, the crime rates have been rather stable, and the recidivism rate increased (Obedience to Authority 227). Also, the study has changed the way America’s prisons are run. The authority decided to alter the pre-trial punishment of juveniles, which stop housing them with adult prisoners (Mc