Stanford Prison Experiment

By curry1412

  • Start of Experiment

    Phillip Zimbardo and his colleagues initiated an experiment to study the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or a prison guard.
    This was conducted in a mock prison in Stanford University and 24 (out of 75) male students were randomly assigned roles of prisoner or guard.

  • DAY 1: Arrest

    The 24 volunteers were arrested without warning at their houses for "Armed Robbery" among other reasons.

  • New identities

    When they arrived at the mock prison they were stripped of all their possessions and clothes.
    After having their nude bodies mocked by the guards, they were each given uniforms and numbers as their new identity.

  • DAY 2: Revolt

    The prisoners of Cell 1 barricaded their cell door with their beds and took off their stocking caps. They refused to come out or follow the guards' instructions, teasing them from inside their cells.

  • Ending the rebellion

    Guards from other shifts volunteered to work extra hours to subdue the prisoners. They stripped the prisoners naked and threw several of them (the troublemakers) into the Hole (solitary confinement).

  • Teaching them a lesson?

    After resolving the rebellion, the guards entertained the notion that they were dealing with 'dangerous prisoners' and took it upon themselves to teach them a lesson:
    'Prisoners have no power. Guards have all the power.'
    ^ Catalyst for prisoners' emotional breakdowns and assertion of power by guards.

  • #8612 - first prisoner breakdown

    After having dinner with Carlo Prescott (prison consultant), Zimbardo and Prescott are informed of their first prisoner breakdown.
    Zimbardo strikes up an offer: become a 'snitch' to gain protection from the guards' harrassments. #8612 doesn't refuse immediately.
    Several hours later he breaks down again and is released from the prison 36 hours into the experiment due to uncontrollable bursts of screaming, sobbing and anger.

  • Rumors

    The guards hear rumors that #8612 was going to come back with his friends and free the other prisoners.

  • Cell 3 - "Good Prisoner Cell'

    The prison guards decide to use the 3rd cell for the obedient prisoners who were least involved in the riot yesterday.
    The special privileges of cell 3:
    -Slightly better meals
    -beds
    -shorter work routines

  • Prisoner representatives

    5704, #1037 and #4325 are chosen to represent the demands for the rest of the prisoners: -showers
    -better sanitary conditions
    -less work
    -church services
    -more time for reading
    -beds back in cells 1 and 2 (for prisoners who tried to rebel)
    -looser cuffs on hands and legs ^over the days little changes, in fact it got worse.

  • Visitiors' night

    5 parents, brother, sister and one girlfriend visit the prisoners that night to bring their behaviour under situational control.

  • #8612's replacement

    8612's number and uniform are given to their 'snitch' (Dave Gorchoff) who was meant to gather and convey information on the prisoners' plans. But he ends up siding with the prisoners, becoming unruly and in need of disciplinary action.

  • Zimbardo getting serious? Response to rumors

    Overly-concerned with the false rumour, Zimbardo lays out strategies with the staff on how to prevent the break-in.
    He is starting to prioritise his mock role in the prison over his actual position as a researcher.

  • Priest Visits

    Father Cowart (previously a prison chaplain) visits and all prisoners seek counsel from him.
    All except for prisoner #819.

  • Second prisoner's breakdown #819

    819 (Stu Levin) refuses to come out of his cell, eat or do any chores. The other prisoners are punished for his disobedience. They all call him a 'bad prisoner' for his hunger strike.
    When Zimbardo decides to release #819 from the experiment the prisoner refuses saying, "I have to go back in, to prove to my buddies that I am not a bad prisoner."
    However he is sent back home that day.

  • Hunger Strike?

    A new prisoner Clay Ramsey #416 is admitted into the prison.
    When he sees everyone acting like real prisoners and guards, he decides to quit. But the prisoners tell him that he can't and must be paroled.
    So he goes on a hunger strike thinking that it will get him sick and force them to release him. His plan is unsuccessful.

  • Untimely End

    Zimbardo's partner Christina Maslach objected to the conditions of the prison when she was summoned to conduct interviews, causing him to abort the experiment early.
    Although more than 50 people observed the experiment she was the only one to question its morality.