Quiet Rage " The Stanford PrisonStudy/ Experiment".

                                                                                                                                     


       A study was done in the summer of 1971 called "The Stanford Prison Study/Experiment which consisted of psychology  students, researchers, prison experts and other participants that came about from answering a newspaper ad in regard to the experiment. The overall goal of this study held by Professor Philip Zimbardo, was to see what behavioral and psychological consequences "effects" of becoming a prisoner or guards. The experiment was to last for two-weeks, however it lasted for six days.

      During the duration of this experiment, the Twenty-four students were in the basement at Stanford University which was converted as close a possible to mimic a actual prison setting where the prisoners adjusted to their roles and the guards theirs. Prisoners were dominating the guards for starters, however this mad the guards livid, the guards felt provoked and wanted to gain power, however it was stated earlier on "no physical force was to be used" The angered guards became emotionally abusive taking the prisoners rights away, prisoners were waken out of their sleep in volatile manner, guards took counts of all the prisoners calling them by their inmate numbers (not their name).

     Prisoners took action against the guards by acting out, putting their beds against the door, calling out loud rants with profanity, it became total chaos. The prisoners were becoming unruly in their manner, this igniting the guards fury, feeling humiliated by the prisoners the guards raised  their bar in disciplinary actions. Implementing strip searches, push-ups, they had to have their urine and feces in their prison cells. Prisoners were being psychologically abused, mentally abused. The guards were using tactic such as Classical Conditioning, and extreme power to divide and conquer and dictate the prisoners, verbally abusing using obscenities. Prisoner 416 was put into a hole twice for not eating his sausages that were dirty and cold  further turning all others against him.  Prior to that their families were invited to visit, not at one time while their family was visting did they have to experience any of the sort that their loved ones were being exposed to, they were told by their loved ones (the prisoners) that is was the worse experience they ever had, and they still played their position within this study (for their loved)as well. The priest came on board of this experiment and offered legal advice instead of spiritual guidance. Had this gone to far? It was not a graduate student came on the scene to and was exposed to what was going on, and she seen it was way out of control, not only was the experiment, but the one conducting the it Philip Zimbardo had become a product of his environment, he was calloused to it all, with seeing his participants literally have breakdowns. At last the graduate student was able to add light to this dark experiment, and what was to last for two-weeks came end at six-weeks.

      In conclusion I do understand from a social perspective Philip Zimbardo wanting to host this experiment to get a "Subjective Reality" as oppose to an "Objective Reality" however, from a Structural Functionalist Theory, this experiment was dysfunctional , & I can clearly understand what Dr. Applewhite means when he stated power is closely tied to inequality.


                                                                                                   Merida Angelina~