Many people cannot comprehend how Germany's ordinary do-good citizens could have supported the Holocaust. Through the Milgram Shock Experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment, psychologists discovered the answer could be found in any human.
In this experiment, Philip Zimbardo wanted to see what the mental effect of living in a prison was. The project took place in the basement of the physiology department, but they had disguised it as a very convincing jail. To the people involved, this area was the only area they saw for the days they were in there. Being randomly divided into either the position of guard or prisoner, each person went through tremendous mental and physical changes. The result was that the simulation was so realistic, that the line between reality and simulation blurred and people acted as if everything was real. Due to this, people suffered bursts of insanity, became sadistic, and dutifully adopted a new life of an abused prisoner. Because of the intensity and mental danger of the experiment, it was ended after only six eventful days instead of the planned two weeks.
Under the false pretense that they were partaking in “a study on the effects of punishment on learning”, Stanley Milgram recruited average, do-good, everyday citizens to assist him in making a psychological breakthrough. Conducted to explore authority's effects on obedience, one could definitely say this experiment "shocked" people, including Stanley Milgram himself.
For more information at Human Nature and its effect on the Holocaust, you can click this link to read the Third Wave Story.
Discussion Points
1. If you were put in a position where an authoritative figure was telling you to harm someone, would you follow orders and protect yourself, or would you risk your life to spare a strangers?
2. When do you think obedience is good, and when do you think its wrong?
3. We teach children to follow instructions and orders, but if it can be used against them, do you think society needs to change their outlook on obedience?
4. Would you voluntarily take part in the Stanford Prison Experiment like the men involved did? Why or why not?
5. Do you think that putting the men into the Stanford Prison Experiment was justified because it was for a study even though they were suffering physical and mental trauma?
