Transformative Essay: The Stanford Prison Experiment
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Stanford Prison Experiment Power is a sign that people use to show their authority over everyone else. This can be shown by a police officer, correctional officer, security guard or anyone that possess a badge on their chest. What happens though when you give power and authority to college students to establish an experiment? The Stanford Prison Experiment was able to show the world exactly how far one’s power can overcome and take over their body.
It started when someone posted an ad for male college students needed for an experiment at fifteen dollars a day. “More than 70 people volunteered to take part in the study, to be conducted in a fake prison housed inside Jordan Hall, on Stanford’s Main Quad.” (Ratnesar). Out of the 70 plus people…show more content… Because of the act up of the prisoners, more guards volunteered themselves to work extra hours. When they weren’t supervised the guards beat the prisoners with fire extinguishers. The guards also made the prisoners repeat their assigned numbers and would remove their mattresses from them to where they had to sleep on the concrete floor. “. His thinking became disorganized and he appeared to be entering the early stages of a deep depression. Within the next few days three others also had to leave after showing signs of emotional disorder that could have had lasting consequences.” (McLeod). Repeating a task the same way and continuing to do so without improvement is a sign of insanity. These prisoners may have permanent psychological disorders from this experiment and the only ones to blame are the protractors that concluded this experiment. “While in prison, though, the loss of personal identity and control led the prisoners to adopt the pathological prisoner syndrome a reaction that took several forms of coping strategies.” (Whitbourne). The guards may even have damage that is permanent to them thinking that they are able to do stuff to people without consequences and can actually end up in prison and be treated the same way that they treated the prisoners they