Page 575 - Understanding Psychology

The Zimbardo Experiment
One Sunday summer morning, a siren shattered the silence, awakening Tommy Whitlow. As Tommy opened his eyes, a police cruiser pulled up, screeching its tires to a halt. The police arrested Tommy, charging him with a felony. They informed him of his rights, frisked and handcuffed him, and placed him in the police vehi- cle. At the station, police fingerprinted and booked Tommy. They then blindfolded him and led him to the Stanford County Prison. Once he was there, guards stripped him naked and sprayed him down with a disin- fectant. He was ordered to wear a beige smock uniform with his identification number patched on the front. Police arrested eight other students that morning as well.
Tommy and the other students were actually par- ticipants in another experiment that caused ordinary people to act in extraordinary ways. Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues (Haney & Zimbardo, 1975) per- formed the experiment. Tommy and the other volun- teers had answered a newspaper ad; they had no idea that the experiment involved a staged arrest.
Collectivism
Many Americans value individualism—a focus on defining oneself in individual terms and giving priority to personal goals. Other societies, though, focus on collectivism— defining oneself in terms of the groups to which one belongs and giving priority to the groups’ goals. Individuals in collective soci- eties, such as those in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, work to control their behaviors and maintain harmonious relationships with others. These individuals are encouraged to be dependent on and submissive to the values of the group. People from collectivist cultures have differ- ent priorities and thus have different strate- gies in how they resolve conflicts and deal with others.
Zimbardo randomly divided the male volunteers into two groups— prisoners and prison guards. He sent both groups to live in a simulated prison set up in the basement of a Stanford University building. He gave the guards instructions to maintain order. Within two days, most of the guards had become intoxicated with power, and they acted cruelly toward the prisoners, often without reason. The guards expected the prisoners to follow the rules without question. If the prisoners did not follow the rules, they lost the privilege to read or write letters. As the prisoners disobeyed more rules, the punishments
increased. Sometimes the guards subjected the prisoners to em- barrassment, humiliation, and mindless tasks such as push-ups and washing toilets with their bare hands.
At the same time, the prison- ers began showing signs of extreme stress, often acting sub- dued and depressed. Sometimes the prisoners refused to follow the rules. They yelled back at the guards, made negative com- ments about the jail, and later became passive from defeat. Some of the prisoners became angry and disillusioned, while others developed psychological
Figure 19.13 Other Cultures
Some cultures, such as the Mexican culture, place greater emphasis on the group rather than the individual. Individuals are viewed as part of the family and society and must work hard to maintain harmonious relationships with others. How do you think the American culture views individuals’ roles in groups?
Chapter 19 / Group Interaction 561