The Zimbardo Prison Experiment

This experiment was conducted at Stanford University in the summer of 1971. The experiment’s aim was to investigate how readily people would conform to the roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercise that stimulated prison life. It was carried out by a team of researchers and led by Phillip Zimbardo, a psychology professor. The experiment was an investigation into the causes of conflict between military guards and prisoners. Zimbardo created an imitation prison and selected students to play the roles of prisoners and guards for two weeks. Twenty-one male students were selected out of a group of seventy-five. The students adapted to their roles beyond Zimbardo’s expectations. The guards went so far as to subject some of the prisoners to psychological abuse. Many of the prisoners accepted the abuse, and those who attempted to prevent it were harassed by the guards. Even Zimbardo allowed the abuse to happen. As a result the experiment was stopped after only six days. The events that occurred during the Zimbardo Prison Experiment are similar to those seen in the Book of Negroes. The toubabu/slave owners treated the Africans as if they were their prisoners. They subjected the Africans to very harsh treatment. They caused physical, mental, emotional and spiritual pain. After a while, the African’s gave up and came to accept the harsh treatment and those who did not were either beaten or killed. For example, “No shackles bound their wrists or ankles, but not one of them fought or tried to run away” (Hill 125). This shows that the Africans accepted their harsh lives. They became accustomed to their way of life and therefore none of them tried to run away.