zimbardo: conformity to social roles

• social roles are a socially defined pattern of behaviour that is expected of people who occupy a certain social position or belong to a particular social category
• social roles include: doctor, teacher, police officer, correctional offer
• Identfication is the process of individuals adopting the behaviour of a group that they value and want to belong to. These roles provide a social identity, an individual's sense of who they are. By conforming to these social roles, individuals feel a stronger connection to the group.
• Social roles can be seen as scripts - sets of behaviours that define how we act in different situations. They guide our actions by providing us with expectations about what we should do in specific circumstances.
• Conformity to social roles therefore involves identification, which is stronger than compliance, involving both public and private acceptance of the behaviour and attitudes exhibited.
• Individuals learn how to behave by looking at the social roles other people play in such situations and then conforming to them. Thus, social roles are the ‘parts’ that people play as members of different social groups.
• Conformity to social roles isn’t as strong as internalisation though, as individuals adopt different social roles for different social situations and only conform to particular roles whilst in those particular social situations.
• Zimbardo was concerned about the intense aggression within the US prison system and thought the reason for aggression was not dispositional but situational, the environment of the prison itself and conformity to the social roles created by the prison environment. He designed the Stanford Prison Experiment to explore conformity to social roles in a simulated prison environment.
• The aim of the SPE was to understand the psychological impact of situational forces by observing how typical, healthy individuals would conform to assigned social roles of guards(oppressive) and prisoners(submissive)
• Zimbardo 1971 procedure

  An observational study of 24 male students from the US who volunteered to participate in a 7-14 day study, receiving $15 per day. After psychological assessments to ensure they were stable and healthy, participants were randomly assigned to the role of a guard or a prisoner.
• Prisoners experienced unexpected arrests at home, were showered, given prison uniforms and ID numbers, and 3 prisoners were placed in each small mock cell. They were given a list of rules to follow and limited rights, such as three meals a day and supervised toilet trips
• Participants allocated the role of guard were given uniforms, clubs, whistles, and wore reflective sunglasses (to prevent eye contact). Guards were instructed (by Zimbardo) to do whatever they thought

  was necessary to maintain law and order in the prison and to command the respect of the prisoners but no physical violence was permitted.
• In addition to overseeing the experiment, what role did Zimbardo play?

  Prison superintendent
• Zimbardo's Findings

  Participants quickly lost their personal identities and adapted to their assigned social roles. Prisoners, after an initial failed attempt at resistance showed signs of stress, anxiety, passivity and helplessness; Five prisoners had to be released early because of their extreme reactions that started to appear after just two days. Guards, empowered by their uniform and anonymity displayed sadistic aggression and domineering behaviour.
• Guards woke prisoners in the night and forced them to clean toilets with their bare hands and made them carry out other degrading activities. Some guards were so enthusiastic in their role that they volunteered to do extra hours without pay.
• The participants appeared at times to forget that this was only a psychological study and that they were merely acting. Even when they were unaware of being watched, they still conformed to their role of prisoner or guard. When one prisoner had had enough he asked for ‘parole’ rather than asking to withdraw from the study.
• After how many days was Zimbardo's study terminated after?

  6 days
• In later interviews, both guards and prisoners said they were surprised at the uncharacteristic behaviours they had shown.
• Zimbardo's conclusions

  Zimbardo's research suggests situational factors, rather than dispositional factors, can drive behaviour, as people who were considered normal and healthy before the experiment engaged in abusive or submissive behaviours as a result of their assigned social roles and the prison environment.