INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS IN A SIMULATED PRISON

• NCJ Number: 10301
• Author(s): C HANEY; C BANKS; P G ZIMBARDO
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 51 pages
• Grant Number(s): N00014-67-A-0112-0041
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of the Navy
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Note: A PAPER PRESENTED AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Annotation

SUBJECTS ROLE-PLAYED PRISONERS AND GUARDS IN A FUNCTIONAL SIMULATION OF A PRISON ENVIRONMENT IN AN INVESTIGATION OF INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS.

Abstract

TO ASSESS THE POWER OF THE SOCIAL FORCES ON THE EMERGENT BEHAVIOR IN THIS SITUATION, ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS IN TERMS OF PRE-EXISTING DISPOSITIONS WERE ELIMINATED THROUGH SUBJECT SELECTION. A HOMOGENEOUS, NORMAL SAMPLE WAS CHOSEN AFTER EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWING AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OF A LARGE GROUP OF VOLUNTEER MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. HALF OF THE SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ROLE-PLAY PRISON GUARDS FOR EIGHT HOURS EACH DAY, WHILE THE OTHERS ROLE-PLAYED PRISONERS INCARCERATED FOR NEARLY ONE FULL WEEK. NEITHER GROUP RECEIVED ANY SPECIFIC TRAINING IN THESE ROLES. CONTINUOUS, DIRECT OBSERVATION OF BEHAVIORAL INTERACTIONS WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY VIDEO-TAPED RECORDINGS, QUESTIONNAIRES, SELF-REPORT SCALES AND INTERVIEWS. ALL THESE DATA SOURCES CONVERGE ON THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS SIMULATED PRISON DEVELOPED INTO A PSYCHOLOGICALLY COMPELLING PRISON ENVIRONMENT. AS SUCH, IT ELICITED UNEXPECTEDLY INTENSE, REALISTIC AND OFTEN PATHOLOGICAL REACTIONS FROM MANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS. THE PRISONERS EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF PERSONAL IDENTITY AND THE ARBITRARY CONTROL OF THEIR BEHAVIOR WHICH RESULTED IN A SYNDROME OF PASSIVITY, DEPENDENCY, DEPRESSION AND HELPLESSNESS. IN CONTRAST, THE GUARDS (WITH RARE EXCEPTIONS) EXPERIENCED A MARKED GAIN IN SOCIAL POWER, STATUS AND GROUP IDENTIFICATION WHICH MADE ROLE-PLAYING REWARDING. THE MOST DRAMATIC OF THE COPING BEHAVIORS UTILIZED BY HALF OF THE PRISONERS IN ADAPTING TO THIS STRESSFUL SITUATION WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACUTE EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE--SEVERE ENOUGH TO WARRANT THEIR EARLY RELEASE. AT LEAST A THIRD OF THE GUARDS WERE JUDGED TO HAVE BECOME FAR MORE AGGRESSIVE AND DEHUMANIZING TOWARD THE PRISONERS THAN WOULD ORDINARILY BE PREDICTED IN A SIMULATION STUDY. ONLY A VERY FEW OF THE OBSERVED REACTIONS TO THIS EXPERIENCE OF IMPRISONMENT COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO PERSONALITY TRAIT DIFFERENCES WHICH EXISTED BEFORE THE SUBJECTS BEGAN TO PLAY THEIR ASSIGNED ROLES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)