Evil: Understanding Bad Situations and Systems, But Also Personality and Group Dynamics

Abstract

Evil is a well-written, engaging, and passionate book about evil in the world. It is a highly personal book in many ways. A large portion of this long book (234 out of 488 pages of text) deals directly and specifically with the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), describing the project in detail, including Zimbardo's role as principal investigator and prison superintendent and the impact of the study on the participants, with many references to the SPE throughout the rest of the book. Zimbardo describes the way in which he was caught up in the situation he created and how he failed to stop it as its destructive effects on prisoners (and guards)

Preventing violence and promoting active bystandership and peace: My life in research and applications.

“…Another lesson is the importance of positive participation by leaders. In the Stanford Prison study, there were cameras in the “jail” set up in the basement of the Stanford psychology department, and Professor Zimbardo, the Superintendent, and his assistants observed the guards’ abusive behavior, without taking any action (Staub, 2007a; Zimbardo, 2007). This allows the evolution of increasingly abusive behavior.…”

“…Violence usually evolves, becoming more intense over time, unless there are constraining forces. Superior officers not setting and enforcing standards of appropriate conduct allows a system of violence to develop, as we have also seen with the police—and as it has happened in the Stanford Prison Study (Staub, 2007a).…”