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Philip Zimbardo

The Lucifer Effect

We tend to think of goodness or badness as inate to a person's character. Philip Zimbardo disagrees, and in The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil he shows how the situations people find themselves in play a large part in how they behave.

The book starts with a description of the Stanford Prison Experiment, where a group of students were split into 'guards' and 'prisoners' for a two week period - except that they took to their new roles so completely that the experiment was terminated after a few days. Zimbardo goes on to discuss other experiments showing how easily people adopt roles determined by what is going on around them, with a detailed description of his involvement in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse investigations.

Its a long book and I had worried that I might get bogged down in the story of the SPE before getting on to the discussion of other examples. In fact this was the most gripping part of the book, and it was towards the end of that I found myself flagging, in particular the long Abu Ghraib chapters. The last chapter on resisting situational influence seemed to be more about defining the word 'Hero'. In summary, the book has an important message, but don't feel that you have to read it all the way to the end.

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Paperback 576 pages
ISBN: 0812974441
Salesrank: 9291
Weight:1 lbs

Published: 2008 Random House Trade Paperbacks

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Paperback 576 pages
ISBN: 1846041031
Salesrank: 1757
Weight:0.97 lbs

Published: 2008 Rider & Co

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Paperback 576 pages
ISBN: 0812974441
Salesrank: 6735
Weight:1 lbs

Published: 2008 Random House Trade Paperbacks

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Product Description
What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it? Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women. Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners. By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”–the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around. This is a book that dares to hold a mirror up to mankind, showing us that we might not be who we think we are. While forcing us to reexamine what we are capable of doing when caught up in the crucible of behavioral dynamics, though, Zimbardo also offers hope. We are capable of resisting evil, he argues, and can even teach ourselves to act heroically. Like Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate, The Lucifer Effect is a shocking, engrossing study that will change the way we view human behavior. From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?

Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women.

Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners.

By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”–the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around.

This is a book that dares to hold a mirror up to mankind, showing us that we might not be who we think we are. While forcing us to reexamine what we are capable of doing when caught up in the crucible of behavioral dynamics, though, Zimbardo also offers hope. We are capable of resisting evil, he argues, and can even teach ourselves to act heroically. Like Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate, The Lucifer Effect is a shocking, engrossing study that will change the way we view human behavior.

From the Hardcover edition.

Excellent Insight Into Human Nature *****
"The Lucifer Effect" delves into the nature of good vs. evil and how under the right set of circumstances, normal, everyday, people can be turned into tormentors of their fellow human beings. Once an individual is dehumanized it is quite easy for them to be the target of torture and abuse. This whole scenario is exemplified by what happened from 1933-1945 in Hitler's Germany and its treatment of German citizens of Jewish background. Ordinary German citizens joined the SS and became vile brutes under the excuse of "following orders". If you want an American example of the Lucifer effect, read the book: "House of Evil" by John Dean. It tells the story of how in the heart of Middle America in 1965, an all American girl named Sylvia Likens was dehumanized, tortured and finally murdered by another American family. The very same factors came into play, dehumanization of the victim, humiliation, verbal and physical abuse and then torture and mayhem resulting in murder. The perpetrators? a divorcee, some of her kids and other neighborhood kids. All American kids who willingly participated in vile brutality upon one of their peers. I think both books are excellent reading, "The Lucifer Effect" provides the background while "House of Evil" cites the actual example.

Excellent Insight Into Human Nature *****

"The Lucifer Effect" delves into the nature of good vs. evil and how under the right set of circumstances, normal, everyday, people can be turned into tormentors of their fellow human beings. Once an individual is dehumanized it is quite easy for them to be the target of torture and abuse. This whole scenario is exemplified by what happened from 1933-1945 in Hitler's Germany and its treatment of German citizens of Jewish background. Ordinary German citizens joined the SS and became vile brutes under the excuse of "following orders". If you want an American example of the Lucifer effect, read the book: "House of Evil" by John Dean. It tells the story of how in the heart of Middle America in 1965, an all American girl named Sylvia Likens was dehumanized, tortured and finally murdered by another American family. The very same factors came into play, dehumanization of the victim, humiliation, verbal and physical abuse and then torture and mayhem resulting in murder. The perpetrators? a divorcee, some of her kids and other neighborhood kids. All American kids who willingly participated in vile brutality upon one of their peers. I think both books are excellent reading, "The Lucifer Effect" provides the background while "House of Evil" cites the actual example.

Wonderful Insights Dreadfully Presented ***
Zimbardo begins each chapter by telling the reader what he intends to say. Then he says it, mixing in frequent reminders of things he said in earlier chapters. Then he tells the reader what he just said, and adds what he plans to say in the succeeding chapter. The result is maddening, especially since the ideas he presents are both interesting and enlightening. Zimbardo's research and analysis clearly show how systemic and situational factors lead ordinary people to behave badly, and the application of his classic Stanford Prison Experiment to the situation that developed at Abu Ghraib sheds a great deal of light on the abuse of prisoners by members of the United States Military. It would have been better accomplished, though, in half the number of pages. Random House really should assign much better editors to Zimbardo's next project.

Wonderful Insights Dreadfully Presented ***

Zimbardo begins each chapter by telling the reader what he intends to say. Then he says it, mixing in frequent reminders of things he said in earlier chapters. Then he tells the reader what he just said, and adds what he plans to say in the succeeding chapter. The result is maddening, especially since the ideas he presents are both interesting and enlightening.

Zimbardo's research and analysis clearly show how systemic and situational factors lead ordinary people to behave badly, and the application of his classic Stanford Prison Experiment to the situation that developed at Abu Ghraib sheds a great deal of light on the abuse of prisoners by members of the United States Military. It would have been better accomplished, though, in half the number of pages. Random House really should assign much better editors to Zimbardo's next project.

The good, the bad and we are all ugly ****
1971, University of Stanford: Professor Philip Zimbardo divided the participants of his experiment into two groups according to the random principle: prisoners and guards who should simulate a jail-situation in the cellar of the university. After a few days the situation ran out of control. The guards, dressed in uniforms, harassed the prisoners ever more. There was so much tormenting that the experiment had to be aborted. Only 40 years later Zimbardo presented with his book "The Luzifer-effect" a shocking report. His conclusion seems to be inevitable: man is available for the evil. But there was even another knowledge that imposed itself on him: since not everybody was seduced by evil forces to behave evil there seems to be a principal freedom of decision which the author regards as a sort of "banality of heroism" (opposed to the "banality of evil"). All are somehow in attendance of heroism being a decision which everybody has to face sooner or later. And this is the difference to the herd instinct which man can switch off in difference to animals. There is pressure on him but he can just ignore it if he is willing. Interestingly especially Christians are called by their "measure-of-all-things-book", the Bible, to be responsible themselves always and to be able always to decide themselves. That normal people are able to all kind of monstrous cruelties was again proved by the assassins of 11thSept., the author says. That the evil has free reins as long as only the frame conditions are given, for example in Nazi Germany where a humans despising (minor race) as well as humans glorifying (superior race) ideology replaced Christianity (Gods glorification). That the world is evil is not a purely Christian knowledge, but truly that man is, in total opposition to what psychologists want to teach us, in principle evil and that hence it is no wonder that it can become apparent at any time. Even Solchenizyn understood: "The line that separates good and evil runs directly through the heart of every single person. And who wants to destroy a piece of his heart?" This could be also the reason why reversion or repentance is so difficult! Reversion means to face the own responsibility. To call this heroism is only appropriate when considering the fact that so few do it. Because the people do not reverse or repent they remain a dangerous potential for their fellow people. Instead of realising this they take refuge in the excuses of their survival strategies which are just strategies of elimination or replacement. And this they are in two different respects, replacement of facts and replacement of rivals for power and acknowledgment. One tries to correct the lack of own honour by being ruthless and rejecting the merits of others. But hereby one remains a prisoner of one`s own desires and instincts. The wish to be accepted is corrupting the people and leads them into wrong thinking and wrong action. Nevertheless the author is presenting a lot of examples where people stood up with moral courage and bravery against the seeming superior forces of evil and held the ground. The evil is right in front of man and so is the good. He has the choice. The question about the "What for?" can also only be answered on a higher level of reality. As well as the question "from where does evil come?". This book is a hard food for the defenders of human integrity and the myth of man being good by his own rights. Goethe used the subjunctive when he said "noble and helping be the man".

The good, the bad and we are all ugly ****

1971, University of Stanford: Professor Philip Zimbardo divided the
participants of his experiment into two groups according to the random
principle: prisoners and guards who should simulate a jail-situation in
the cellar of the university. After a few days the situation ran out of
control. The guards, dressed in uniforms, harassed the prisoners ever
more. There was so much tormenting that the experiment had to be
aborted. Only 40 years later Zimbardo presented with his book "The
Luzifer-effect" a shocking report. His conclusion seems to be
inevitable: man is available for the evil. But there was even another
knowledge that imposed itself on him: since not everybody was seduced by
evil forces to behave evil there seems to be a principal freedom of
decision which the author regards as a sort of "banality of heroism"
(opposed to the "banality of evil").
All are somehow in attendance of heroism being a decision which
everybody has to face sooner or later. And this is the difference to the
herd instinct which man can switch off in difference to animals. There
is pressure on him but he can just ignore it if he is willing.
Interestingly especially Christians are called by their
"measure-of-all-things-book", the Bible, to be responsible themselves
always and to be able always to decide themselves. That normal people
are able to all kind of monstrous cruelties was again proved by the
assassins of 11thSept., the author says. That the evil has free reins as
long as only the frame conditions are given, for example in Nazi Germany
where a humans despising (minor race) as well as humans glorifying
(superior race) ideology replaced Christianity (Gods glorification).
That the world is evil is not a purely Christian knowledge, but truly
that man is, in total opposition to what psychologists want to teach us,
in principle evil and that hence it is no wonder that it can become
apparent at any time. Even Solchenizyn understood: "The line that
separates good and evil runs directly through the heart of every single
person. And who wants to destroy a piece of his heart?" This could be
also the reason why reversion or repentance is so difficult! Reversion
means to face the own responsibility. To call this heroism is only
appropriate when considering the fact that so few do it.
Because the people do not reverse or repent they remain a dangerous
potential for their fellow people. Instead of realising this they take
refuge in the excuses of their survival strategies which are just
strategies of elimination or replacement. And this they are in two
different respects, replacement of facts and replacement of rivals for
power and acknowledgment. One tries to correct the lack of own honour by
being ruthless and rejecting the merits of others. But hereby one
remains a prisoner of one`s own desires and instincts. The wish to be
accepted is corrupting the people and leads them into wrong thinking and
wrong action. Nevertheless the author is presenting a lot of examples
where people stood up with moral courage and bravery against the seeming
superior forces of evil and held the ground. The evil is right in front
of man and so is the good. He has the choice. The question about the
"What for?" can also only be answered on a higher level of reality. As
well as the question "from where does evil come?". This book is a hard
food for the defenders of human integrity and the myth of man being good
by his own rights. Goethe used the subjunctive when he said "noble and
helping be the man".

A thought-inducing book ****
This book really made me think. I was familiar with the Stanford Prison Experiment from high school and college classes. It was interesting to see it paralleled with the situation in Abu Ghraib. Given the lack of oversight and guidance, the constant danger, the exhaustion, the bad guidance they did receive, it is not surprising what happened there. What scares me is that those individuals were punished, but few people who should have been supervising were. Guidelines now in place help considerably, but is that enough to ensure no situation falls apart again to the extent that Block 1A of Abu Ghraib prison does? The actions of those men and women brought dishonor upon our entire military, it cannot be permitted to happen again. The book could have benefited from a little paring down. It was not necessary to list more than the bare facts about who was responsible for deciding that harsh interrogation methods were officially okay: these facts speak for themselves, no political commentary necessary. Overall, I highly recommend that everyone read this book, ESPECIALLY anyone in a position of responsibility in the military, a corrections system, or any similar "position of public trust."

A thought-inducing book ****

This book really made me think. I was familiar with the Stanford Prison Experiment from high school and college classes. It was interesting to see it paralleled with the situation in Abu Ghraib. Given the lack of oversight and guidance, the constant danger, the exhaustion, the bad guidance they did receive, it is not surprising what happened there. What scares me is that those individuals were punished, but few people who should have been supervising were. Guidelines now in place help considerably, but is that enough to ensure no situation falls apart again to the extent that Block 1A of Abu Ghraib prison does? The actions of those men and women brought dishonor upon our entire military, it cannot be permitted to happen again.

The book could have benefited from a little paring down. It was not necessary to list more than the bare facts about who was responsible for deciding that harsh interrogation methods were officially okay: these facts speak for themselves, no political commentary necessary.

Overall, I highly recommend that everyone read this book, ESPECIALLY anyone in a position of responsibility in the military, a corrections system, or any similar "position of public trust."

Understanding People Better *****
This author is a genius. The book has very difficult aspects to read because we are, after all, discussing evil. It's a fascinating and informative book from a front-leading psychologist who really knows of what he speaks.

Understanding People Better *****

This author is a genius. The book has very difficult aspects to read because we are, after all, discussing evil. It's a fascinating and informative book from a front-leading psychologist who really knows of what he speaks.

Beelzebub, as the Devil put aside for me. *****
A worrying insight on how we all have the potential to turn to evil. Based on a 1971 experiment, it is still relevant today, as recent events have illustrated. A book that compels you to look deeper into your own psyche. Well illustraed case studies and edited for the average reader rather than a university psychology student. It is a riveting read, but not in the sense of a page turner but as a reminder that we are all capable of committing extremely bad acts against our fellow human beings.

Beelzebub, as the Devil put aside for me. *****

A worrying insight on how we all have the potential to turn to evil. Based on a 1971 experiment, it is still relevant today, as recent events have illustrated. A book that compels you to look deeper into your own psyche. Well illustraed case studies and edited for the average reader rather than a university psychology student. It is a riveting read, but not in the sense of a page turner but as a reminder that we are all capable of committing extremely bad acts against our fellow human beings.

A significant key to understanding the evils in many environments *****
I found this book just amazing. I learnt so much about how conditions with bad rules as well as no rules with no accountability will encourage a very large majority of people, sometimes as much as 90% of people, to commit acts of evil. This totally shocked me. The reason why I bought this book is that I started to work in a very repressive environment. I had never worked in such an environment before, and I could not understand why, as in previous places I was able to pin such a negative vibe on an individual. At this place I could not. It seemed to me that the system was at play, but no-one was trying to challenge it. This book answered that question - almost all people will comply or enforce negative behaviours. Very senior management, who set the tone and the rules, will also let the negative behaviour occur and do nothing. Very very few people will ever challenge it. And the reason for this : people want to belong and they fear rejection. If they challenge the norms there is a high emotional cost to pay : exactly what happened to me. In a matter of weeks I went from being a confident person to utter depression as I so detested the environment. The last chapter was the saving grace and has enabled me to know how we can work to make working environments better. Thank you Phil. I have four criticisms having read this book: 1. Having read it I seem to trust psychologists less : they seem to create scientific experiments where by volunteers are duped into them, for example they provide adverts to come to an experiment. The advert does not set out what will happen in the experiment. 2. The psychological experiments are always evil. Phil in his last chapter comes up with a thought experiment of doing a good positive behaviour experiment, stating that such a one has not been done. 3. Phil regularly states that the individuals who committed crimes cannot be excused for their crimes. But he never elaborates on this. On the one hand he spends 98% of the book explaining that the conditions caused the bad behaviour, and then 2% (or less) stating that they were responsible for the bad behaviour. For me I want to know why at the end of day do human beings commit evil acts in such bad conditions. Is Phil saying that at the end of the day we are puppets, 100% manipulated by our environment? Or is he saying we are manipulated by say 99% of our environment and that there is 1% within each individual person to choose good or evil? In my heart I believe we are able to choose, and we must learn to choose to find that 1% to do good, and perhaps we can start growing that 1% to 2% to 10% and so on, the maximum I do not know though. Would groups of nuns do the same? Would Jesus and the 12 disciples have done the same? 4. I worry if the social construct of psychology research is to fund evil experiments. I shall keep detached from the research. At one point I was considering studying psychology, but would be concerned that after a while I would end up being manipulated into their social construct. I have now bought Phil's next book : The Time Paradox, and look forward to writing my next review of it

A significant key to understanding the evils in many environments *****

I found this book just amazing. I learnt so much about how conditions with bad rules as well as no rules with no accountability will encourage a very large majority of people, sometimes as much as 90% of people, to commit acts of evil. This totally shocked me.
The reason why I bought this book is that I started to work in a very repressive environment. I had never worked in such an environment before, and I could not understand why, as in previous places I was able to pin such a negative vibe on an individual. At this place I could not. It seemed to me that the system was at play, but no-one was trying to challenge it.
This book answered that question - almost all people will comply or enforce negative behaviours. Very senior management, who set the tone and the rules, will also let the negative behaviour occur and do nothing. Very very few people will ever challenge it. And the reason for this : people want to belong and they fear rejection. If they challenge the norms there is a high emotional cost to pay : exactly what happened to me. In a matter of weeks I went from being a confident person to utter depression as I so detested the environment. The last chapter was the saving grace and has enabled me to know how we can work to make working environments better. Thank you Phil.
I have four criticisms having read this book:
1. Having read it I seem to trust psychologists less : they seem to create scientific experiments where by volunteers are duped into them, for example they provide adverts to come to an experiment. The advert does not set out what will happen in the experiment.
2. The psychological experiments are always evil. Phil in his last chapter comes up with a thought experiment of doing a good positive behaviour experiment, stating that such a one has not been done.
3. Phil regularly states that the individuals who committed crimes cannot be excused for their crimes. But he never elaborates on this. On the one hand he spends 98% of the book explaining that the conditions caused the bad behaviour, and then 2% (or less) stating that they were responsible for the bad behaviour. For me I want to know why at the end of day do human beings commit evil acts in such bad conditions. Is Phil saying that at the end of the day we are puppets, 100% manipulated by our environment? Or is he saying we are manipulated by say 99% of our environment and that there is 1% within each individual person to choose good or evil? In my heart I believe we are able to choose, and we must learn to choose to find that 1% to do good, and perhaps we can start growing that 1% to 2% to 10% and so on, the maximum I do not know though. Would groups of nuns do the same? Would Jesus and the 12 disciples have done the same?
4. I worry if the social construct of psychology research is to fund evil experiments. I shall keep detached from the research. At one point I was considering studying psychology, but would be concerned that after a while I would end up being manipulated into their social construct.
I have now bought Phil's next book : The Time Paradox, and look forward to writing my next review of it

Extremely fascinating and relevant read *****
At first glance I was intimidated at the thickness and small type of the text thinking it would take me weeks to read this book - I finished it in a week!!! Zimbardo has extensively researched this topic as well as having had and been exposed to real-life experience of the environment where evil grows and thrives. I noted in one review that it was felt he made his feelings too clear. I like this about the book, due to his extensive research he has earned the right to a solid opinion on the matter. Saying this, he lays out the facts within the book, so you are able to make your own mind up as to whether you agree with him or not. Zimbardo goes into detail on the Stanford Prison Experiments but also draws parallels from other research carried out by others, both in the lab as well as in the public domain. He also investigates and draws parallels with Abu Ghraib, leaving you with a thorough understanding of what his opinions (and those of many others) are built upon. He ends the book celebrating the good in people and demonstrating how if you can create situations where evil thrives, then you can do the same for goodness. There are many parallels with the corporate world so I do not think it is just politicians who need to read this but also any Organisational Designer, Human Resourcer and Learning and Development personnel could benefit from reading this book!

Extremely fascinating and relevant read *****

At first glance I was intimidated at the thickness and small type of the text thinking it would take me weeks to read this book - I finished it in a week!!!

Zimbardo has extensively researched this topic as well as having had and been exposed to real-life experience of the environment where evil grows and thrives. I noted in one review that it was felt he made his feelings too clear. I like this about the book, due to his extensive research he has earned the right to a solid opinion on the matter. Saying this, he lays out the facts within the book, so you are able to make your own mind up as to whether you agree with him or not.

Zimbardo goes into detail on the Stanford Prison Experiments but also draws parallels from other research carried out by others, both in the lab as well as in the public domain. He also investigates and draws parallels with Abu Ghraib, leaving you with a thorough understanding of what his opinions (and those of many others) are built upon.

He ends the book celebrating the good in people and demonstrating how if you can create situations where evil thrives, then you can do the same for goodness.

There are many parallels with the corporate world so I do not think it is just politicians who need to read this but also any Organisational Designer, Human Resourcer and Learning and Development personnel could benefit from reading this book!

Very interesting ****
Its a very good read but does it does seem to slow down in certain places.

Very interesting ****

Its a very good read but does it does seem to slow down in certain places.

It could be You - how good people turn evil. *****
I was often mystified as to why people behave in such inhumane ways towards each other. Daily reports in the news range from bullying through torture to genocide. Things I think of as unimaginable cruelty are surely the behaviours of maniacs and madmen, right? WRONG! The Lucifer Effect highlights the simple process by which completely healthy, rational people become evil. Zimbardo's experiments show how what we think of as being indefensible becomes not only possible but completely normal. Zimbardo's research describes tendencies in human psychology and reveals the process of how cruelty takes place. If we think that 'We' would never do such things...we are Quite Wrong! The Lucifer Effect describes the process as a gradient; a little inaction here; a little silence there. The process is simple and subtle; all we have to do is collude through silence - say nothing, do nothing, don't rock the boat, ignore our doubts etc. The final chapter talks about Learning to recognise Influences and Resist them. An awareness of how this psychological process takes place is key. If things look, feel or sound bad - Pay Attention - this means things Are Bad. We can learn to pay attention; learn how to put the brakes on and learn how to maintain integrity.

It could be You - how good people turn evil. *****

I was often mystified as to why people behave in such inhumane ways towards each other. Daily reports in the news range from bullying through torture to genocide. Things I think of as unimaginable cruelty are surely the behaviours of maniacs and madmen, right? WRONG!

The Lucifer Effect highlights the simple process by which completely healthy, rational people become evil.
Zimbardo's experiments show how what we think of as being indefensible becomes not only possible but completely normal. Zimbardo's research describes tendencies in human psychology and reveals the process of how cruelty takes place. If we think that 'We' would never do such things...we are Quite Wrong!

The Lucifer Effect describes the process as a gradient; a little inaction here; a little silence there. The process is simple and subtle; all we have to do is collude through silence - say nothing, do nothing, don't rock the boat, ignore our doubts etc.

The final chapter talks about Learning to recognise Influences and Resist them. An awareness of how this psychological process takes place is key. If things look, feel or sound bad - Pay Attention - this means things Are Bad. We can learn to pay attention; learn how to put the brakes on and learn how to maintain integrity.

A must read! *****
If you are in any way interested in human behaviour, modern psychology, or social science or even just in the question of good and evil you should read this book. When I read this book I was not studying psychology in any in depth way and credit must be given to Philip Zimbardo for making this a very accessible book comprehendible to any layman, but at the same time backing his findings and theory's up with countless examples and evidence. The book starts with a novel like account of the Stanford Prison Experiment continues into what dispositional, social and systemic factors can affect human behaviour, followed by an in depth account of the abu ghraib scandal and finishes on a high with a positive approach to heroism in humanity. Everyone should read this book once in their lives; it would certainly help people notice what influences are bombarding them everyday. A must read. Useful if you are going into higher education, it you are already an academic and even if you are just interested psychology.

A must read! *****

If you are in any way interested in human behaviour, modern psychology, or social science or even just in the question of good and evil you should read this book. When I read this book I was not studying psychology in any in depth way and credit must be given to Philip Zimbardo for making this a very accessible book comprehendible to any layman, but at the same time backing his findings and theory's up with countless examples and evidence. The book starts with a novel like account of the Stanford Prison Experiment continues into what dispositional, social and systemic factors can affect human behaviour, followed by an in depth account of the abu ghraib scandal and finishes on a high with a positive approach to heroism in humanity. Everyone should read this book once in their lives; it would certainly help people notice what influences are bombarding them everyday. A must read. Useful if you are going into higher education, it you are already an academic and even if you are just interested psychology.

A sobering read ****
Zimbardo is the creator of the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, where a group of young college students were randomly split into guards and prisoners in a mock prison for two weeks to see how their roles, the context, and the situation would affect their behavior. Thanks to the intervention of an outsider (Zimbardo himself was too sucked in by the situation to notice), the experiment was stopped short after less than a week as the two groups went wildly out of control. Prisoners were rioting, having nervous breakdowns, and losing all hope while guards became sadistic and authoritarian. Zimbardo quite aptly compares it to the situation at Abu Graib. Context completely took over these normal young adults who had been screened to be just that- healthy, normal young adults. Most of the book is about the experiment, describing it in great depth and detail. Then there's several chapters on other social science research (including Milgram's dramatic studies of authority), two LONG chapters on Abu Graib (not very interesting to this non-American), and one final chapter on heroes. In particular, this book is lacking (in my opinion) more data and commentary on the latter topic of heroes, as well as MUCH more commentary from the participants of the prison experiment after it's all over. That's what really fascinates me- when normal people turn evil, how do they react to that fact later when they return to normal? How do they cope mentally with the knowledge that they just turned evil? Because that's really one of two main themes of this book. That is, most evil is done by normal people, just as is most heroics are done by normal people. Because of theme two: the incredible power of social contexts and situations. People have "free will", but it can be very strongly influenced by the influence of social factors. Zimbardo does a very good job explaining the second theme, but I felt he fell a little short explaining the first (and perhaps more important?) theme. Particularly since he thinks it's vital for humanity's survival that we appreciate how vulnerable we all are to social influence, and how the ultimate path to good lies in both using that social influence for positive ends and resisting that social influence when it is for immoral ends. That's a very powerful and sobering thought that is generally well explored in this book, making it certainly worth reading. It is generally well written, aimed at a broad audience, and although it sometimes seem a little self-aggrandizing, it's generally quite factual. Recommended.

A sobering read ****

Zimbardo is the creator of the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, where a group of young college students were randomly split into guards and prisoners in a mock prison for two weeks to see how their roles, the context, and the situation would affect their behavior. Thanks to the intervention of an outsider (Zimbardo himself was too sucked in by the situation to notice), the experiment was stopped short after less than a week as the two groups went wildly out of control. Prisoners were rioting, having nervous breakdowns, and losing all hope while guards became sadistic and authoritarian. Zimbardo quite aptly compares it to the situation at Abu Graib. Context completely took over these normal young adults who had been screened to be just that- healthy, normal young adults.

Most of the book is about the experiment, describing it in great depth and detail. Then there's several chapters on other social science research (including Milgram's dramatic studies of authority), two LONG chapters on Abu Graib (not very interesting to this non-American), and one final chapter on heroes. In particular, this book is lacking (in my opinion) more data and commentary on the latter topic of heroes, as well as MUCH more commentary from the participants of the prison experiment after it's all over. That's what really fascinates me- when normal people turn evil, how do they react to that fact later when they return to normal? How do they cope mentally with the knowledge that they just turned evil?

Because that's really one of two main themes of this book. That is, most evil is done by normal people, just as is most heroics are done by normal people. Because of theme two: the incredible power of social contexts and situations. People have "free will", but it can be very strongly influenced by the influence of social factors. Zimbardo does a very good job explaining the second theme, but I felt he fell a little short explaining the first (and perhaps more important?) theme. Particularly since he thinks it's vital for humanity's survival that we appreciate how vulnerable we all are to social influence, and how the ultimate path to good lies in both using that social influence for positive ends and resisting that social influence when it is for immoral ends.

That's a very powerful and sobering thought that is generally well explored in this book, making it certainly worth reading. It is generally well written, aimed at a broad audience, and although it sometimes seem a little self-aggrandizing, it's generally quite factual. Recommended.

You Too Can Be Turned to the Dark Side! ****
In "Star Wars", the Jedi knight, Anakin Skywalker, gets turned to the dark side and becomes the notorious Darth Vader. The story is told in such a way that the subtle changes leading to his conversion are quite believable. We would like to think that in real life converting someone to an evil cause would be much more difficult, but in fact it turns out to be even easier than the way it happened in the movie. In this book Philip Zimbardo the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) documents how easy it is to make good people do bad things. The first part of the book is a detailed account of his "prison" experiment in which students selected as being of average disposition were assigned roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison, and how quickly they assumed the roles they were given to play. It soon got to a point where the guard behavior became excessively cruel, some of the prisoners were on the verge of mental breakdown, and the experiment had to be aborted. Even Zimbardo himself became immersed in his role as superintendent and forgot his objectivity as the experimenter. Although I was previously aware of the SPE, I did not know that it had been in part paid for by the U.S. military through the Office of Naval Research. Strangely the author does not see anything that might be wrong with this even though the results were a pretty clear lesson in how to create stress in prisoners. He goes on to describe other work such as Stanley Milgram's famous obedience experiments in which people would obey an authority figure by shocking "learners", actually actors pretending to be shocked, to the point of death. In another experiment women would even shock a puppy to the point of severe injury or death to "help" them learn. He makes it clear that systemic and institutional factors are a huge determinant of how each of us will behave in any given situation and our disposition or character can easily be manipulated. He even gives ten lessons in "Creating Evil Traps for Good People". As Walter Bagehot, an editor of The Economist Newspaper observed many years ago: the opinion of others is "a permeating influence and it exacts obedience to itself; it requires us to think other men's thoughts, to speak other men's' words, to follow other men's habits." Zimbardo was hired as an expert witness for the defense of one the participants in the abuses and torture at Abu Gharib prison in Iraq to show why it was caused by the function of systemic and institutional factors and not "bad apples". He tells the history leading up to events at Abu Gharib and makes the case that it was the higher ups that created the climate that allowed the abuse to take place. The defendant was still found guilty. In the last part of the book he tries to put on a happy face, by telling us how to resist situational influences and then talks about what makes people take heroic action. One thing that detracts from his ideas of heroism however, is his inclusion of his wife as a heroic figure just because she got upset when she witnessed the effects his experiment was having. She certainly was not exposed to any of the sacrifice or risk factors he claims are needed to define heroic action. At the end I found myself thinking that his own institutional situation has to be a major factor in determining the spin he puts on his ideas, and that none of us are exempt from this. This is especially true of our leaders. George Bush has the ultimate excuse for his behavior as God wanted him to be President. In summary the book is very interesting and gives us all more excuses for our bad behavior. As Flip Wilson's character Geraldine used to say "the devil made me do it".

You Too Can Be Turned to the Dark Side! ****

In "Star Wars", the Jedi knight, Anakin Skywalker, gets turned to the dark side and becomes the notorious Darth Vader. The story is told in such a way that the subtle changes leading to his conversion are quite believable. We would like to think that in real life converting someone to an evil cause would be much more difficult, but in fact it turns out to be even easier than the way it happened in the movie.

In this book Philip Zimbardo the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) documents how easy it is to make good people do bad things. The first part of the book is a detailed account of his "prison" experiment in which students selected as being of average disposition were assigned roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison, and how quickly they assumed the roles they were given to play. It soon got to a point where the guard behavior became excessively cruel, some of the prisoners were on the verge of mental breakdown, and the experiment had to be aborted. Even Zimbardo himself became immersed in his role as superintendent and forgot his objectivity as the experimenter.

Although I was previously aware of the SPE, I did not know that it had been in part paid for by the U.S. military through the Office of Naval Research. Strangely the author does not see anything that might be wrong with this even though the results were a pretty clear lesson in how to create stress in prisoners.

He goes on to describe other work such as Stanley Milgram's famous obedience experiments in which people would obey an authority figure by shocking "learners", actually actors pretending to be shocked, to the point of death. In another experiment women would even shock a puppy to the point of severe injury or death to "help" them learn. He makes it clear that systemic and institutional factors are a huge determinant of how each of us will behave in any given situation and our disposition or character can easily be manipulated. He even gives ten lessons in "Creating Evil Traps for Good People".

As Walter Bagehot, an editor of The Economist Newspaper observed many years ago: the opinion of others is "a permeating influence and it exacts obedience to itself; it requires us to think other men's thoughts, to speak other men's' words, to follow other men's habits."

Zimbardo was hired as an expert witness for the defense of one the participants in the abuses and torture at Abu Gharib prison in Iraq to show why it was caused by the function of systemic and institutional factors and not "bad apples". He tells the history leading up to events at Abu Gharib and makes the case that it was the higher ups that created the climate that allowed the abuse to take place. The defendant was still found guilty.

In the last part of the book he tries to put on a happy face, by telling us how to resist situational influences and then talks about what makes people take heroic action. One thing that detracts from his ideas of heroism however, is his inclusion of his wife as a heroic figure just because she got upset when she witnessed the effects his experiment was having. She certainly was not exposed to any of the sacrifice or risk factors he claims are needed to define heroic action.

At the end I found myself thinking that his own institutional situation has to be a major factor in determining the spin he puts on his ideas, and that none of us are exempt from this. This is especially true of our leaders. George Bush has the ultimate excuse for his behavior as God wanted him to be President.

In summary the book is very interesting and gives us all more excuses for our bad behavior. As Flip Wilson's character Geraldine used to say "the devil made me do it".