‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’

Anyone interested in psychology would have probably heard of the 1971 ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’ conducted by psychologist Dr Zimbardo – a study which was designed to observe the psychological effects of authority and submission in the prison system.

A Stanford University building department was made to look and work like a prison, and a number of volunteer students were assigned roles as either prisoners or guards. The findings were incredible – after less than two days, one prisoner had to be released from the study due to suffering a psychological breakdown. Zimbardo himself became so engulfed by the study that his own actions were being influenced by the goings-on inside the prison.

The findings have helped to give clarity to the workings of prisons, and other theories on why torture occurs in security centres such as Abu Ghraib. Today, it is taught on psychology degree curriculums to advise on ethics in students’ own studies, but the fascination around the study will forever capture the interest of students and non-students alike.

This summer sees the release of a new film documenting the notorious experiment starring Billy Crudup as Dr Zimbardo. With the production heavily guided by Dr Zimbardo himself, the film is a tense and fascinating watch, and the winner of two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, including Best Screenplay.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD now. Watch the trailer below.