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  • Essay / An Analysis of the Evil Nature of Humanity in the Stanford Prison Experiment

    Morality vs. Evil NaturePsychology is the means by which human beings are able to better understand one another. People who study psychology experience the amazing results of humanity's lifestyles. Dr. Phillip Zimbardo is a psychologist known for his research into the ways in which human nature is corrupted. In 1971, Dr. Zimbardo conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment tested what happens when ordinary people are put in an evil place like prison. Will morality defeat evil, or will evil become victorious? Like Dr. Zimbardo, Hsun Tzu was also involved in understanding human mentality. He wrote about his beliefs in “The Nature of Man is Evil.” The results of Dr. Zimbardo's experiment showed that evil outweighs good. Despite those who disagree with Dr. Zimbardo's impression of his experience, the Stanford Prison experiment confirms that a negative environment will negate an individual's ethical behavior due to a lack of authority and influence of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Without a proper authority figure to teach us morality, we become blind to it. In the experiment, one participant was nicknamed "John Wayne" for his ruthless behavior towards his fellow inmates. He abused his power as a guard and began to dehumanize prisoners in cruel ways. No one stopped him and no one showed him the evil in what he had done. His abuse of power continued until the end of the experiment because he lacked proper guidance. Tzu's theory shows that evil will arise from an absence of authority, as he argues: "Now let anyone try to remove the authority of the ruler... He will find that the powerful impose on the weak and steal from them... and in no time the world will be delivered over to chaos and mutual destruction” (Tzu 88). The world around us has tendencies leading to degradation and disorder without proper moral teaching. People will abuse their power or be mistreated. We witnessed such acts during the experiment, when the guards showed harshness in treating people they considered inferior to them. Man's cruel ways will prevail over his good. Mob mentality is the way people are influenced by the behaviors of those around them. Experience showed this mentality as the guards copied each other's negative behaviors. The guards wore identical uniforms with reflective sunglasses that blocked anyone from seeing humanity through their eyes. The environment they occupied caused evil. Day after day, the guards repeatedly harassed the prisoners with the help of "John Wayne." His unethical treatment of prisoners caused other guards to mock his behavior or become bystanders. At the end of the experiment, he wonders why no one stopped his behavior. This reveals our selfish nature of witnessing evil but not stopping it. Tzu concludes this analysis by reflecting: "But if a man associates with men who are not good, then he will hear only deception and lies and see only conduct marked by insolence, evil and greed” (92). The environment in which humanity inhabits will appeal to either morality or its negative ways. In an environment involving people with negative behavior,..