The Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted Aug. 14, 1971- Aug. 20, 1971, funded by the US Office of Naval Research, and led by Psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo is a notable case study in the "crowd," or "mob" psychology.
The setting?
The basement of the Stanford psychology building.
The main finding?
Even "normal", well-adjusted individuals can turn into monsters given the proper circumstances.
The experiment, set to last a period of 7 to 14 days, had to be cut short by the 6th day due to the latent sadistic tendencies elicited from within the guards, and the mental anguish that many of the prisoners were experiencing.
Overall, the findings turned my stomach, and provided much insight into just how inhumanely human beings can treat each other, and into the psychology of the "mob."
Here is Phillip Zimbardo expounding upon the intricacies of the experiment.
FAQs concerning the experiment.
Epilogue...what happened?
This was equally as eye opening as it was gut-wrenching and disturbing.
I have something else to present, but it is not yet ready.
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