The Experiment (The Stanford Prison Experiment)

The Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted in 1971 by psychologist Philip Zimbardo, examined how individuals’s behavior changes when they assume roles of authority or submission. Volunteers were randomly assigned as prisoners or guards in a simulated prison environment. Over days, guards became increasingly authoritative and sometimes abusive, while prisoners showed signs of stress and helplessness. The experiment revealed the powerful influence of situational roles on behavior, highlighting how ordinary people can commit harmful acts under certain social pressures. It was halted after six days due to the emotional distress caused, raising important ethical questions about research methods.