Philip Zimbardo was the leader of the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment — and an expert witness at Abu Ghraib
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo has seen good people turn evil, and he thinks he knows why. Phillip will use this 3 minute video to illustrate his points that feature many previously unseen and disturbing photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
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In March 2006, Salon.com published 279 photos and 19 videos from Abu Ghraib, one of the most extensive documentations to date of abuse in the notorious prison. Zimbardo claims, however, that many images in his video — which he obtained while serving as an expert witness for an Abu Ghraib defendant — have never before been published.
The Abu Ghraib prison made international headlines in 2004 when photographs of military personnel abusing Iraqi prisoners were published around the world. Seven soldiers were convicted in courts martial and two, including Specialist Lynndie England, were sentenced to prison.
Zimbardo conducted a now-famous experiment at Stanford University in 1971, involving students who posed as prisoners and guards. Five days into the experiment, Zimbardo halted the study when the student guards began abusing the prisoners, forcing them to strip naked and simulate sex acts.
His book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, explores how a “perfect storm” of conditions can make ordinary people commit horrendous acts.
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Murder and cover up at Abu Ghraib AND Newest Abu Ghraib Photos Released.
This confirms a lot of my suspicions about good & evil as they actually
manifest in real human beings. That being good, or taking what Zimbardo
calls heroic action – is just a choice and so is evil action. Always watch
for systems that encourage inaction.
+Tjaart Blignaut This is a very good presentation illustrating how much
influence environment has over personality. He also points out how
centralisation of responsibility promotes unethical behaviour which is why
anarchy or decentralised governance is essential.
A very balanced talk in these days of simplification.
A very balanced talk in these days of simplification.
The system is apparently broken. Or is it rigged? Whatever the case may be,
it’s in desperate need of an overhaul.
#learn 
This has to be one of the most amazing realizations of our time. the
taking of 18 college students, checking out their background to ensure they
are “normal”, and randomly assigning them one of two roles. “Prisoners” or
“guards”. An experiment that was supposed to last 2 weeks was shut down
after 6 days because of the inhumane way people were being treated.
Zimbardo himself, who had set himself up as “Warden” didn’t see it, but had
to be told by a research assistant that things had gone too far. One of the
most profound things about this experiment is that the ones who evolved
into “monsters” were not the prisoners, but the guards. They were randomly
assigned a role, and they changed their personality because of it. They
could shut that experiment down. In life we are assigned roles by our
parents, schools, social groups, employment environment. We can’s “shut it
down”. Others people’s actions and choices dictate our own. 
Zimbardo did an epic, yet frightening, experiment with college age students
when studying evil. He gives a really wonderful talk.
This is a really good listen. 
Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evil
+1
I especially like his “7 Social Processes That Grease the Slippery Slope of
Evil” around 16:30
Very interesting…and may explain why injured workers are ill treated by
their case managers…
This is pretty interesting I am currently taking a sociology course in
college and my teacher had us watch this. I think you may find this
interesting.
WARNING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!!!
Please Note: This clip includes some disturbing images. Feel free to fast
forward through these images, if it is too much to watch.
Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evil
TED – “Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In
this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib
trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and
how we can rise to the challenge.”
*My notes:*
– Evil –
The exercise of power to intentionally:
– harm (psychologically)
– hurt (physically), and/or
– destroy (mortally) and
– commit crimes against humanity
What is responsible?
– It could be the “who of people”
– Or the situational forces in the behavioural context… (the “what of the
situation”)
How do psychologists understand the transformations of Human Character?
– *Dispositional*: Inside of Individuals (The Bad Apples)
– *Situational*: External (The Bad Barrel)
– *Systemic*: Broad influences; political, economic, legal power, cultural
background (The Bad Barrel-Makers)
If you want to change a person, you’ve got to change the situation, if you
want to change the situation, you’ve got to know where the power is in the
system. Thus we need a shift away from the medical model that focuses only
on the individual towards a public health model that recognizes situational
and systemic vectors of disease. Bullying is a disease, prejudice is a
disease, violence is a disease.
According to the data collected by anthropologist John Watson, warriors
going into battle with changed appearances (anonymity) are more likely to
kill, torture and mutilate others:
http://i.imgur.com/Ef2n8.png
The capacity of ordinary people to do great evil was demonstrated in the
Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures.
The Stanford prison experiment is a study of the power of institutions to
influence individual behaviour with similar results, namely that such
behaviour is, among other factors, caused by:
– *7 Social Processes that Grease the Slippery Slope of Evil* –
– Mindlessly taking the first small step
– Dehumanization of others
– De-individuation of self (anonymity)
– Diffusion of personal responsibility
– Blind obedience to authority
– Uncritical conformity to group norms
– Passive tolerance of evil through inaction, or indifference
*This happens in new or unfamiliar situations, where your habitual
response-patterns don’t work and your personality and morality are
disengaged.*
*”Banality of Heroism”* (as a Counterpoint to Hannah Arendt’s “Banality of
Evil”):
Ordinary people do extra-ordinary moral deeds in certain situations.
Focussing on traditional societal heroes (Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin
Luther King), who organize their lives around sacrifice for a cause is
flawed, since they are the exceptions. Focus on fictional role-models (like
superheroes) is wrong-headed for a similar reason. We should realize that
most heroes are everyday people who emerge as heroes only in particular
situations.
*Situations have the power to do 3 things:*
1. The very same situation that can inflame the *”Hostile Imagination”* in
those who become perpetrators of evil can also inspire the
2. *”Heroic Imagination”* in others of us, or
3. render most people passive bystanders and guilty of *”The Evil of
Inaction”*
*Psychology of Heroism:*
– Encourage children in new “Hero Courses” to develop the “Heroic
Imagination” and “Hero Talents” to think of one’s self as a
“Hero-in-Waiting” for some situation to provide the catalyst for ACTION on
behalf of others, or for defending an ideal ~ a moral principle.
– Heroes are ordinary people whose social action is extra-ordinary/who ACT
when others are passive, who give up EGO-centrism for SOCIO-centrism.
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion.  He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes.  Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy.  Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
[..YouTube..] He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
[..YouTube..] He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion. He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
[..YouTube..] He managed to fit a semester’s worth of material in to 23 minutes. Crazy. Loved his passion.  He touched on so many good points. Excellent speech!
That guy’s breathing is killing me. I’m going to need him to take care of himself :(  Brilliant work though.
That guy’s breathing is killing me. I’m going to need him to take care of himself :( Brilliant work though.
That guy’s breathing is killing me. I’m going to need him to take care of himself :( Brilliant work though.