whatsername666 (October 4, 2008 at 5:22 pm)

it was through an ad in paper...but they still had psychological tests to ensure there wasnt anything dodgy thier that could make them do this and that it was all conforming to social roles

Keithjustinburton (October 4, 2008 at 9:21 am)

You sure we're talking about the same experiment here? Research the methods used to attract participants.

whatsername666 (October 3, 2008 at 2:13 pm)

there was no proof that the guards in this experiment wanted to inflict suffering, in fatc they all underwent extensive psychological testing to ensure that they didnt !

whatsername666 (October 3, 2008 at 2:11 pm)

i love this experiment, dispite being totally unethically it was fab...made me fall in love with psychology

jumar1281 (October 1, 2008 at 3:20 am)

i've met zimbardo before, the guy is real creep.. in my opinion

tiemedown (September 29, 2008 at 1:28 pm)

interesting but not entirely applicable

DesteniProductions (September 28, 2008 at 6:17 pm)

Consciousness is programmable--and is how society is controlled

OmnipotentEloquence (September 27, 2008 at 3:01 am)

The experiment aside, human beings always role play. It's in our nature to take up a role. For the betterment of the group. But the rulers of today have abused our nature. And created specific roles for us to fill in order to meet their own ends. Roles don't need to mean limits.

Keithjustinburton (September 24, 2008 at 3:59 am)

All of those examples had guards who wanted to inflict suffering, for various reasons, and had very lax oversight and accountability for their actions. I'm not surprised at what happened. Those combinations (desiring to inflict suffering and not being restrained from doing so or punished for doing it) produce pretty unremarkable results. What those "experiments" don't do is prove that, deep down, all people want to inflict the same level of suffering as those guards. Unfounded assumption.

jkrew76 (September 23, 2008 at 11:27 pm)

well it might have been an "experiment" but how do you explain the parallels of what happened at stanford, with the guards becoming sadistic and the guards at abu ghraib who also became sadistic? did both sets of guards just so happen to have someone who wanted to inflict suffering or is this an innate quality in all of us?