The Stanford Prison Experiment: How Science Misled About the Evil in Human Nature for Years

Are we really that bad?

Let’s uncover the real kind nature of humanity. An AI-generated image with Dall-E

Early one summer morning in 1971, nine college students were abruptly taken from their homes and brought to an improvised prison in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology department. Handcuffed and escorted by the police, these “prisoners” faced a group of nine students dressed as guards with mirrored sunglasses.

Stripped naked and shackled with chains around their ankles, the prisoners were given shirts bearing numbers with their new identities for the next two weeks. Under the watchful eyes of psychology researchers, what unfolded was supposed to reveal the darkest corners of human nature.

At least, that’s what we were led to believe.

For those of us who studied psychology, the Stanford Prison Experiment became one of the most influential studies in the field. Lead researcher Philip Zimbardo wanted to show how quickly and drastically social roles and environments could drive human behavior to dark extremes.

• The “guards” began to exhibit sadistic behaviors, increasing the more they embraced this newly found power.
• Stripped of their identity, the “prisoners” became submissive, stressed, and emotionally broken.