Stanford Prison Experiment organized by Stanford researcher Philip Zimbardo led to a strong public response. The results of the experiment and its ethical issues are still discussed today. Referring to Zimbardo himself, as well as documentaries based on the experiment, Maria Popova explicitly describes its astonishing outcomes. Assigned with the roles of prisoners and guards, college students demonstrated that one’s actions can be easily influenced by the models of behavior dictated by society.
These results raise questions about the power of social influence and authority. The main outcome of the whole experiment is reflected in a famous line from “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell (1936): “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (para. 7). Indeed, all people participating in Stanford Prison Experiment were wearing imaginary masks that shaped their behavior and revealed the cruelty they could never expect from themselves. Like the officer who was encouraged by society to shoot an elephant, “guards” demonstrated abusive behavior, even though they could not do it in typical circumstances. “Prisoners,” on the other hand, started feeling intimidated and unimportant. Do the character and will of an individual have any power against social pressure and imposed models of behavior? It is a question that still needs to be answered.
The article proves that issues covered by the experiment attracted public attention. The findings are not only concerned with relationships between an individual and society. They can apply to politics, family, working environment, or any other situation when a person’s behavior can be influenced by an authority. Therefore, the main task of every person is not to lose themselves behind the mask they wear since thoughts and will are what shape one’s character and actions.
Reference
Orwell, G. (1936). Shooting an Elephant. Orwell Foundation.