Philip Zimbardo & the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE)

Earlier this month (October 14th , 2024), Dr Philip Zimbardo passed away, aged 91. His name might be one that you aren’t familiar with, but you are probably aware of the “infamous” Stanford prison experiment (SPE) of 1971, he created and was the architect of.

The experiment that was meant to last two weeks was ended after six days when Zimbardo’s, then partner Christina Maslach, visited/observed it and concluded that it had passed an ethical boundary; Zimbardo playing the role of “Prison Governor” had gotten so caught up in the experiment that he’d lost sight of the real and actual suffering that a number of participants were experiencing.

I have referenced the experiment in various articles, however in this article I want to take a slightly deeper look at it, as it offers an explanation as to why normally “good” people can commit extreme acts of violence and torture and offers an insight as to how malleable the human mind is.

Participants for the experiment were recruited via an advert in a local paper which offered them $15 a day for taking part (somewhere around $120 in today’s money). The advert informed them that they would be taking part in a psychological study concerning prison life.

After a brief psychological assessment, they were then assigned a “role”; either that…