4 ms·

Interview with Philip Zimbardo of the Stanford Prison Experiment

26 points by happy-go-lucky 10y ago

jplayer01 10y ago
It's been nearly fifty years. It was a flawed experiment. He's been interviewed countless times. Why do we need yet another article about it that doesn't say anything new?
- batguano 10y ago
  I've often thought out should be more properly referred to as the "Stanford Prison Anecdote."
  - baxter001 10y ago
    I think you'll find the accepted name is "Philip Zimbardo's weird weekend"
- toyg 10y ago
  There is a new movie about the experiment, a fictionalized version, which did well at Sundance and is now on general release I believe. As part of the promotion effort, they rolled out Zimbardo, who also collaborated with the writer I think (some of the "kids" were also involved).
- icantdrive55 10y ago
  I didn't know it was flawed. That said, I have seen the behaviorial attitude switch in every profession that yields power over another individual. I have three classmates who became cops. I knew two in high school, one was my best friend in college. They literally turned into different people once on the force. I now just cringe when I go to their FB pages. Actually, I don't go to their pages anymore. The change was so dramatic--we have nothing in common anymore on any level.
- mmjaa 10y ago
  Because new kids graduate from the decadence of their family-provided lifestyle and come out into the world fresh, looking for ideas that help them gain an understanding for why the world is so broken: so such things as the conclusions made by this experiment are ever-more valuable. It is disingenuous to assume that because something is 'old' in your eyes, 'everyone knows it already'. This is clearly not the case - if everyone knew just how bad human beings can be when granted power, perhaps there wouldn't be such heinous conditions in the halls of power as we have today. Fact: either we re-fresh discussing the uncomfortable truths about human existence on frequent occasions, or we end up unwittingly repeating them. Also, frequently.
  - andrewclunn 10y ago
    Except none of that speaks to the flawed nature of the experiment. This is ideological junk that refuses to die.
    - mmjaa 10y ago
      Says you. But, are you 'an authority' on the subject, or just a willing participant looking to increase your influence over the world?
aaron695 10y ago
If you still think this was a 'scientific' experiment in 2017 then I'd be a bit worried. Related - Philip Zimbardo is worried that excessive gaming or porn watching is crippling masculinity. https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/may/11/the-professor-who-thinks-video-games-will-be-the-downfall-of-men-zimbardo https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/may/1...
- 0xcde4c3db 10y ago
  It seems like Zimbardo always wanted to be a "thought leader" rather than a scientist. He has a history of promoting novel theories/diagnoses/techniques with catchy names that don't especially pan out (the Lucifer Effect, Social Intensity Syndrome, time perspective therapy).
claytron5000 10y ago
Psychology Today has an article debunking this poorly executed "experiment." https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201310/why-zimbardo-s-prison-experiment-isn-t-in-my-textbook https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201310/wh...

It's been nearly fifty years. It was a flawed experiment. He's been interviewed countless times. Why do we need yet another article about it that doesn't say anything new?

batguano 10y ago
I've often thought out should be more properly referred to as the "Stanford Prison Anecdote."
- baxter001 10y ago
  I think you'll find the accepted name is "Philip Zimbardo's weird weekend"
toyg 10y ago
There is a new movie about the experiment, a fictionalized version, which did well at Sundance and is now on general release I believe. As part of the promotion effort, they rolled out Zimbardo, who also collaborated with the writer I think (some of the "kids" were also involved).
icantdrive55 10y ago
I didn't know it was flawed. That said, I have seen the behaviorial attitude switch in every profession that yields power over another individual. I have three classmates who became cops. I knew two in high school, one was my best friend in college. They literally turned into different people once on the force. I now just cringe when I go to their FB pages. Actually, I don't go to their pages anymore. The change was so dramatic--we have nothing in common anymore on any level.
mmjaa 10y ago
Because new kids graduate from the decadence of their family-provided lifestyle and come out into the world fresh, looking for ideas that help them gain an understanding for why the world is so broken: so such things as the conclusions made by this experiment are ever-more valuable. It is disingenuous to assume that because something is 'old' in your eyes, 'everyone knows it already'. This is clearly not the case - if everyone knew just how bad human beings can be when granted power, perhaps there wouldn't be such heinous conditions in the halls of power as we have today. Fact: either we re-fresh discussing the uncomfortable truths about human existence on frequent occasions, or we end up unwittingly repeating them. Also, frequently.
- andrewclunn 10y ago
  Except none of that speaks to the flawed nature of the experiment. This is ideological junk that refuses to die.
  - mmjaa 10y ago
    Says you. But, are you 'an authority' on the subject, or just a willing participant looking to increase your influence over the world?

aaron695 10y ago

If you still think this was a 'scientific' experiment in 2017 then I'd be a bit worried. Related - Philip Zimbardo is worried that excessive gaming or porn watching is crippling masculinity. https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/may/11/the-professor-who-thinks-video-games-will-be-the-downfall-of-men-zimbardo https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2015/may/1...

0xcde4c3db 10y ago
It seems like Zimbardo always wanted to be a "thought leader" rather than a scientist. He has a history of promoting novel theories/diagnoses/techniques with catchy names that don't especially pan out (the Lucifer Effect, Social Intensity Syndrome, time perspective therapy).

claytron5000 10y ago

Psychology Today has an article debunking this poorly executed "experiment." https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201310/why-zimbardo-s-prison-experiment-isn-t-in-my-textbook https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201310/wh...