conformity to social roles

• Social roles

  The 'parts' people play as members of various social groups, e.g parent, child, student, etc. These roles are accompanied by expectations we and others have of what is appropriate behaviour in each role, for example caring, obedient, etc.
• Stanford Prison experiment


  • 1973
  • Mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford university
  • Selected 21 volunteer men who tested as 'emotionally stable'
• Stanford Prison experiment


  1. Students randomly assigned to play role of prison guard or prisoner

  2. Both prisoners and guards encouraged to conform to social roles, through their uniforms and the instructions given about their behaviour
• Prisoner uniforms

  Loose smock and a cap, identified by number (never called by their names)
• Guard uniforms

  Uniforms, wooden clubs, handcuffs and mirror shades
• Uniforms

  • Created a loss of identity (deindividuation), making them more likely to conform to their perceived social role
• Instructions about behaviour

  1. Prisoners had several procedures to encourage them to identify with their roles, e.g instead of leaving the study prisoners could 'apply for parole'

  2. Guards were reminded they had complete power over the prisoners