Philip G. Zimbardo, Psychologist Behind the Stanford Prison Experiment, Dies at 91

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Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist renowned for the controversial “Stanford Prison Experiment,” has passed away at the age of 91. Stanford University announced his death on Friday, stating that he died on October 14 at his home in San Francisco. The cause of death was not disclosed.

 

Zimbardo's legacy is intertwined with the infamous 1971 prison study, which was intended to explore the psychological effects of imprisonment. In this experiment, Zimbardo and a group of graduate students recruited college-aged males to simulate life in a mock prison set up in the basement of a building on the Stanford campus. The experiment, which was supposed to last two weeks, was cut short after only six days. The participants who were assigned the role of guards quickly became abusive, while those acting as prisoners suffered from severe psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and rage.

 

Zimbardo himself faced criticism for his role in the study, as he took on the position of superintendent, becoming actively involved rather than remaining an impartial observer. In later reflections, Zimbardo admitted that the results were both unexpected and disturbing. “The outcome of our study was shocking and unexpected,” he co-wrote with one of the graduate students who participated in the project.

 

Despite its ethical controversies, the Stanford Prison Experiment has become a cornerstone in the study of the psychology of evil and the ethics of research involving human subjects. It is frequently used in psychology courses as a case study to examine the complex dynamics of power, authority, and moral behavior under extreme conditions.

 

In addition to his work on the prison experiment, Zimbardo made significant contributions to various fields of psychological research, including persuasion, hypnosis, cult behavior, shyness, time perspective, altruism, and compassion, according to Stanford University.

 

Zimbardo is survived by his wife, Christina Maslach Zimbardo, along with their three children and four grandchildren.

 

 

Based on a report from the News Nation 2024-10-21

 

 

 

[300sd]

Quite amazing really. Reminds me of another experiment. This one in a high school class. They made a video of it that is quite good.

https://medium.com/timeline/this-1967-classroom-experiment-proved-how-easy-it-was-for-americans-to-become-nazis-ab63cedaf7dd

[Bkk Brian]

Watched a doc on the brown eyes blue eyes school experiment, scary

 

A second look at the blue-eyes, brown-eyes experiment that taught third-graders about racism

https://theconversation.com/a-second-look-at-the-blue-eyes-brown-eyes-experiment-that-taught-third-graders-about-racism-177430

 

 

Edited October 21 by Bkk Brian