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The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment

31–32 of 32 posts

Re: The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment

#31

Post by golergka » Sun, Jun 14, 2015, 2:29 PM UTC

crdoconnor wrote: post #29

golergka wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's correct. However, the experiment was later popularly interpreted as `ordinary people turning tyrannical`, and that's what incorrect.

Higher than average levels of authoritarianism and aggressiveness doesn't mean that they are especially abnormal.

Agreed. But it doesn't mean that they are not especially abnormal as well. So, essentially, we don't know it and we shouldn't pretend that we know.

Re: The Real Lesson of the Stanford Prison Experiment

#32

Post by azernik » Sun, Jun 14, 2015, 8:47 PM UTC

crdoconnor wrote: post #28

azernik wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. The problem, however, is that the experiment has been used in popular culture to make broader statements about other social settings.

Where has it been used that it wouldn't apply? It would seem to me that the only place it wouldn't apply would be where authority figures are somehow picked at random. How common is that ?

Generally, it's cited you make a point about how anyone's moral behavior is caused by the roles society expects of them. E.g. "we would all be war criminals if we were drafted into a criminal army", or the like.

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