The Psychology of Obedience – Why We Comply: Lessons from the Stanford Prison Experiment That Shocked America. - Softcover

Burkey, J. Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798307917732

Publisher: Independently published, 2025

Synopsis

In the summer of 1971, a psychology study at Stanford University morphed into a chilling demonstration of human behavior under the pressures of authority and submission. The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), led by psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo, aimed to explore the psychological effects of power and control in a simulated prison. What began as a planned two-week study unraveled in just six days, as participants—ordinary college students randomly assigned as 'guards' or 'prisoners'—descended into extreme and often disturbing behaviors.

Zimbardo transformed the psychology department’s basement into a convincing mock prison. Cells with barred doors housed three prisoners each, while a solitary confinement room—ominously labeled “The Hole”—served as punishment for disobedience.

The experiment was meticulously designed to simulate prison life. Advertisements in local newspapers recruited 24 healthy, psychologically stable male college students from a pool of over 70 applicants.

*The Psychology of Obedience – Why We Comply* delves into the Stanford Prison Experiment, examining its inception, disturbing trajectory, and lasting impact on psychology and ethics. Through a critical lens, it explores the psychological and social forces that made the SPE possible and its enduring lessons about the dangers of unchecked power, the complexity of human behavior, and the ethical responsibilities of scientific inquiry.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798307917732
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 34