Philip Zimbardo is a psychologist, author of one of the most famous studies in the history of psychology - Stanford prison experiment.
Excerpt for familiarization
Usually we perceive evil as a kind of quality, characteristic of one people and not characteristic of another. In the end, bad trees grow from bad seeds. This is their fate. We consider examples of such villains Hitler, Stalin, Paul Pot, go Amina, Saddam Hussein and other tyrants of our time who committed mass killings. We also consider villains, although not so terrible, drug dealers, rapists, people in the sexual services market, scammers, those who rob old people and intimidate our children.
In addition, the dichotomy of “Good - Evil” removes responsibility from “good people”. They can afford not to even think about what can also contribute to the creation or existence of conditions that lead to offenses, crimes, vandalism, humiliation, intimidation, rape, torture, terror and violence. “So the world is arranged, and it cannot be changed, at least, I can’t do it.”
An alternative point of view considers evil as a process. She claims that each of us is capable of atrocities, only suitable circumstances are needed for this. At any moment, a person can show certain qualities (say, intelligence, pride, honesty or depravity). Our character can change, move, move to the “good” or to the “bad” pole of human nature. This point of view assumes that we acquire certain qualities on the basis of experience, purposeful development or external intervention, for example, when this or that ability opens up new opportunities. In short, we learn to be good or bad, regardless of our heredity, personal characteristics or family history.
During the Stanford experiment, the situation of imprisonment was simulated: the roles of real overseers and prisoners were performed by students randomly divided into two relevant groups. An unexpected result was that both groups soon began to behave in accordance with their roles: “overseers” began to insult and punish the “prisoners”, and many “prisoners” were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The study of how circumstances and the power of the role in the system can turn an ordinary person into a tyrant or victim, has become the main focus of Zimbardo. The experiment was repeatedly criticized, however Remains It is very important for science (including because it is impossible to repeat it in the modern world for ethical reasons).
The effect of Lucifer was written by Zimbardo after the information about torture in the Abu Graib prison was opened, and his analysis of the behavior of the prison guards became an important part of the book, which probably made it a bestseller. However, the author does not stop at the current moment and talks about the behavior of people during the genocide in Rwanda and the War in Vietnam, about scandals with harassment in the Catholic Church and mass suicide in Johnstown. This, on the one hand, is a retelling of monstrous events, when it turned out that people are capable of seemingly impossible atrocities, on the other hand, a thorough analysis of all these events, the conditions in which they occurred, and their prerequisites.
A significant part of the book is expectedly devoted to a detailed description of the Stanford prison experiment. Closely studying cases of cruelty of people in relation to each other, the scientist formulates not only that in fact anyone can be capable of inhuman acts, but also gives tips, which can help not be in the role of a rapist. Zimbardo calls this heroism, but this is the heroism that everyone is capable of, the most ordinary person without any outstanding abilities.
You can read or download the book by link.
