The Lucifer effect : how good people turn evil

Philip G. Zimbardo

Description

Examining the causes of evil, Zimbardo provides the first in-depth analysis of his classic Stanford Prison Experiment. He describes how a group of ordinary students was placed in a mock prison and how, in less than a week, the study had to be terminated when the 'guards' became increasingly sadistic and the 'prisoners' pathological. He considers the findings of the experiment and its relevance to society today.

Content

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The psychology of evil: situated character transformations -- Sunday's surprise arrests -- Let Sunday's degradation rituals begin -- Monday's prisoner rebellion -- Tuesday's double trouble: visitors and rioters -- Wednesday is spiraling out of control -- The power to parole -- Thursday's reality confrontations -- Friday's fade to black -- The SPE's meaning and messages: the alchemy of character transformations -- The SPE: ethics and extensions -- Investigating social dynamics: power, conformity, and obedience -- Investigating social dynamics: deindividuation, dehumanization, and the evil of inaction -- Abu Ghraib's abuses and tortures: understanging and personalizing its horrors -- Putting the system on trial: command complicity -- Resisting situational influences and celebrating heroism