Conformity to Social Roles - Zimbardo

• Background to Zimbardo

  The study was designed to investigate whether behaviour in prison is largely a function of the roles people are assigned rather than their individual personalities. Zimbardo aimed to explore how situational forces, such as the environment and social roles, can lead ordinary individuals to behave in ways that are markedly different from their usual demeanour (deindividuation). This research was also intended to provide insight into the psychological effects of perceived power and deindividuation.

  
• Sampling

  • Participants: The sample consisted of 24 male university students, screened for physical and psychological health.
  • Selection and Assignment: They were randomly assigned to either the role of prisoner or guard, ensuring that individual differences were minimised and that any subsequent differences in behaviour could be attributed mainly to the assigned roles.
• Setting:

  The experiment was conducted in the basement of Stanford University’s psychology building, where a mock prison was constructed to simulate the prison environment.

  
• Prisoner Procedure:

  Participants assigned as prisoners were unexpectedly ‘arrested’ at their homes by actual local police officers, booked at the police station, and then taken to the simulated prison. Upon arrival, they were stripped of personal identity (given numbers instead of names), provided with uniforms, and confined in small, cell-like rooms.

  
• Guard Procedures:

  Those assigned as guards were given uniforms, whistles, and batons. They were instructed to maintain order in the prison, but not to use excessive physical violence. However, they were left to manage the prisoners with very little oversight, which allowed them considerable discretion in their behaviour.

  
• Duration and Escalation:

  The study was originally planned to last for two weeks. However, due to rapidly escalating abusive behaviour by the guards and increasing emotional distress among the prisoners, the experiment was terminated after only six days.
• When one prisoner had enough they asked for parole, rather than to withdraw from the study.
• Five prisoners had to be released early because of extreme reactions (crying, rage, acute anxiety etc. symptoms)
• What behaviour did the guards adopt in the study?

  Authoritarian and aggressive demeanours
• What psychological tactics did the guards use to control the prisoners?

  Humiliation and sleep deprivation
• How did the prisoners respond to the guards' behaviour?

  They became passive and submissive
• What signs of distress did the prisoners exhibit?

  Extreme stress and emotional disturbance
• What symptoms did some prisoners show during the study?

  Depressive symptoms and feelings of helplessness
• What did the study demonstrate about situational factors?

  They can override personal characteristics
• Conclusion

  Zimbardo’s Prison Study provided compelling evidence that powerful situational forces and assigned social roles can induce individuals to engage in extreme and abusive behaviours, even when these actions conflict with their personal values. The study ultimately highlighted the potential for deindividuation and role conformity to lead to a loss of personal responsibility.