TVtoo

The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted a month before I was born, in August '71. The psychologists created a "prison" in the basement of the Psych Building and drafted 24 volunteers. Some became prisoners, some guards. These were normal college guys. It's amazing to see how within 6 days they completely became their roles. In such a short time the prisoners forgot about the experiment and started losing their identities; they came to believe that they really were their prison numbers. The slide show ends with a post-study discussion, and there is RealVideo of a meeting between one of the prisoners and one of the guards.

It reminds me of something Timothy Leary said in his book Info-Psychology about Charles Manson. Manson had spent his entire life in completely authoritarian situations...from a troubled homelife to juvenile hall, to prison. Then, at 28, when he'd spent most of his life behind bars of some kind or other, he was released. Free. What happens when the slave becomes his own master?

And another thing: isn't it weird that experiments like this are no longer allowed but "reality" games like Survivor are? (found via boingboing)