The Stanford Prison Experiment Updated

In the hot summer of 1971, the basement of Stanford University’s psychology building was transformed into a mock prison. Philip Zimbardo, a psychology professor, had embarked on an experiment designed to explore the psychology of prison life.

Recruited via a local newspaper ad, twenty-four healthy, middle-class, male students were randomly assigned to play either the roles of prisoners or guards. The “prisoners” were arrested at their homes, without prior notice, by actual police officers, handcuffed, and brought to the makeshift prison. They were stripped, deloused, dressed in smocks bearing prisoner numbers, and locked up in bare, small cells.

The “guards”, equipped with mirrored sunglasses and batons, were given complete control over the prisoners, with the only caveat being that physical violence was prohibited. Zimbardo himself acted not just as an observer, but as the superintendent of this faux prison, further blurring the line between the experiment and reality.

The study, initia…