Conformity to Social Roles (Zimbardo)

• Social Role

  • The part people play as members of various social groups. Everyday examples include parent, child, student etc. ​
  • These are accompanied by the expectations we have and others have of what is appropriate behaviour in each role
• Zimbardo (1973) 

  conducted an extremely controversial study on conformity to social roles, called the Stanford Prison Experiment.
• Zimbardo (1973): Aim

  examine whether people would conform to the social roles of a prison guard or prisoner, when placed in a mock prison environment.
• Zimbardo (1973): Method

  • Set up a mock prison in basement of psych department at Stanford University​
  • Advertised for students to volunteer to take part and paid $15 ​
  • 24 Participants were randomly assigned to be either a guard or a prisoner ​
  • 16 rules prisoners had to follow: enforced by the guards ​
  • They were told they had complete power over the prisoners 
• De-individualization: a loss of personal identity


  • The prisoners were given numbers and not their real name ​
  • The guards were given a uniform, shades, club and handcuffs ​
• Zimbardo (1973): Findings

  • participants quickly internalized their roles and began to exhibit extreme and abusive behaviours. 
  • Within days the prisoners rebelled
  • guards dehumanised the prisoners, waking them during the night and forcing them to clean toilets with their bare hands;
  •  prisoners became distressed and depressed
  • One prisoner left after the first day as he showed psychological disturbance
• Zimbardo (1973): Conclusions

  • people quickly conform to social roles, even when the role goes against their moral principles.
  • situational factors were largely responsible for the behaviour found, as none of the participants had ever demonstrated these behaviours previously.
• Strengths of Zimbardo's Prison Experiment

  • Their behaviour must have been due to the pressure of the situation: increases the internal validity of the study
  • Had control over some variables e.g. selection of participants ​
  • Emotionally stable participants were chosen and randomly assigned their roles: helps to rule out individual differences as an explanation of findings 
• Weaknesses of Zimbardo's Prison Experiment

  • Demand Characteristics/ Lack of realism: Performances were based on stereotypes of how prisoners and guards are supposed to behave. One participant said he based his role on a brutal character from the film “Cool Hand Luke” 
  • Participants were play-acting not conforming to the role ​ 
  • Ethical issues; deception, protection from harm etc.
• Counter Argument: (Zimbardo)

  • Zimbardo argued the prison was very real ​
  • 90% of the participants conversations were about prison life ​
  • On balance it would suggest the situation was real to the participants
• ROLE OF DISPOSITIONAL INFLUENCES ​


  • Zimbardo ignored the role of personality factors ​
  • For example, one third behaved brutally, one third were keen on applying the rules fairly and the rest actively tried to help and support the prisoners ​
  • Maybe participants conforming to their roles was overstated ​
• Ethical Issues of Zimbardo's Study

  • The experiment had to be stopped ​
  • Participants were psychologically damaged ​
  • All were debriefed after ​
  • All took part in counselling sessions for some two years later after the experiment
• Exaggeration of power roles

  - only 1/3 of guards were brutal, so majority resisted social pressures to conform to the social roles. Minimised the impact of dispositional factors.
• Social norms refer to unwritten rules or expectations about behaviour within a particular group or society.