Running head: INSIDIOUS PSYCHOLOGY

Insidious Psychology: When Psychology Goes Too Far

Honors British Literature
E. Clint Tawes

Tazhiana Y. Campbell
13 April 2015

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Insidious Psychology: When Psychology Goes Too Far
Psychology was first founded in 1879 by a German psychologist named Wihelm Wundt,
when he opened the first laboratory dedicated to psychological research. Since then the study of
psychology has grown tremendously and provided mankind with beneficial outcomes.
Psychological experiments can bring about earth-shattering conclusions, but if these results are
gathered through unethical or morally unjust means, they are essentially flawed. Even though an
experiment can change the face of the earth, a limit to how the study is conducted is still present.
When children, people with mental illness, and other handicapped groups are subjected to
corrupt and unfair experiments, the study has crossed the line of humanity. Through close
examination and thorough research, instances in which psychology has taken on an image of
malice have risen.
Ethical Standards In Modern Psychology
The American Psychology Association (APA.) code of ethics requires that each
psychological experiment maintain respect for its subjects rights and dignity, preserve the
confidentiality of each subject, and ensure that all subjects are mentally competent and
physically able to participate in the experiment. The Preamble of the A.P.A. (2008) states:
[The] Ethics Code is intended to provide specific standards to cover most situations
encountered by psychologists. It has as its goals the welfare and protection of the individuals and
groups with whom psychologists work and the education of members, students and the public
regarding ethical standards of the discipline.
The Association went on to explain many other factors that an ethical experiment would include.
In modern society, experiments that would be deemed unethical are scarce. Even though these

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studies are hard to find, that does not mean they do not exist. Rumors of extensive and needless
CIA torture have recently surfaced, but the accusations have yet to be proved.
Cases
World War II was a period marked by the Holocaust and the inhumane acts committed by
Nazi, Germany. Twenty- four years after the atrocity Stanley Milgram hypothesized that despite
how ordinary people seem or act, they can all be morphed into heinous monsters. The Milgram
Study was conducted by Stanley Milgram (1963), to test his theory. In the beginning of the study,
two men were placed in one room and asked to draw a card from a box which would say either
learner or enforcer on it. Unbeknownst to the subject, both of the cards said learner and the other
man was just an actor. The experiment placed an ill-informed subject in front of a row of buttons
that are marked with voltages that increase from left to right. The learner was located in a
room and made to answer questions and if he got them wrong. The enforcer was made to push
each voltage which increased with every wrong answer. A scientist was meticulously placed in
the same room as the enforcer and as the voltage increased and the enforcer began to have
feelings of empathy, the scientist pushed the subject to keep going. The participants were given
four verbal prods, which are also publicly scrutinized, include, Please continue. The experiment
requires that you continue. It is absolutely essential that you continue. You have no other choice,
you must go on. (McLeod 2007)

Despite the pleas and screams of the learner, which were prerecorded, about sixty-five
percent of the enforcers continued and with the experiment and simply because a man in a white
lab coat told them to. After the experiment was over, the enforcers were told that it was all fake,
but that fact did not make the enforcers acts any less startling. Milgrams study is reviled

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worldwide and it is used to explain numerous massacres and wars: both past and present. Critics,
such as Gina Perry (2009) believe that, ...there have been so many problems with Milgrams
research that we have to start re-examining the textbook descriptions of the research. Although
this experiment opened the eyes of the nation, it didnt make it morally just. Informed consent is
a major component of psychological research and steps should have been taken to ensure that all
participants are well informed and know what will be done to them. Psychological cases that
have caused mental and physical harm to a child have also surfaced.

The Monster Study (1939), was conducted by Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor in
Davenport, Iowa. The experimental study was created to find the effects of negative and positive
speech therapy. Wendell and Tudor gathered twenty-two orphans, that had speech impediments,
and used them as test subjects. To analyze his theory the orphans were separated into two groups;
one group received positive feedback while the other received negative feedback. The group of
children that received positive feedback were praised in their attempts toward speaking and
children that got negative feedback were belittled at every attempt of fluent speech. After the
experiment was over an abundant amount of children that were in the negative feedback group,
suffered long-term effects. A few of the children had to continue speech therapy because they
retained their speech problem or, due to the experiment, it grew worse.
The Monster Study continues to live in infamy because of the negative effects in left on the
children and even though some believe Wendell and Tudor had no ill intentions, others consider
the study outrageously immoral. Jeremy Dean (2007) concluded:

The study was never published. Because of this some argue the damage inflicted on the
children was even more unethical. All studies must balance the potential risks against the

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potential benefits Without publication and dissemination through the academic community, this
studys benefits are reduced.

In 2001, The University of Iowa publicly apologized for the experiment and in 2007, a court
ordered Iowa to pay 925,000 dollars to six orphans that were subjects in the experiment.

Discrimination

The field of psychology prides itself on helping the mentally ill, but at the same time it tells these
sick patients that they are not normal and that they are not competent enough to do what a
regular person can. Societal standards ostracize the mentally afflicted and because of that they
cannot live normally as any other person could. In some cases psychologist do this exact same
thing, but in subtle and insidious ways. Examples of these acts lie in studies that tried to
rehabilitate homosexuals and cases that used mentally ill people as subjects, in hopes to fix
these people. John Grohl (2003), an accredited psychologist, believes that health care and
mental health professionals fortify the prejudice that the mentally ill face. Discrimination in
psychological studies are clearly banned such experiments. The American Psychology
Association (2003) states, In their work-related activities, psychologists do not engage in unfair
discrimination based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin,
religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status or any basis proscribed by law.
Psychology is one of the most powerful branches of science and even though it has taken dark
turns, psychology has given mankind fascinating facts and changed the way people think
worldwide. Although perfection is essentially impossible, steps to ensure the welfare, rights, and
dignity of human, or any live test subjects should never be looked over.

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Frankenstein

In the same way that psychology has had pitfalls, Frankenstein pushed boundaries when
he created his monster. Victors scientific discovery on how to bring the dead back to life is
amazing, but the actual act can be viewed as repulsive and inhumane. Scientific studies should
always follow strict and decent codes that promote morale and integrity.

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References
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2015, from
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
Dean, J. (2007, June 27). The 'monster study' on stuttering. Retrieved April 15, 2015, from
spring.org website: http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/06/monster-study.php
Grohol, J. (2003, July 1). How Psychology, Psychiatry Discriminate Against People with Mental
IllnessWorld of Psychology. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/05/how-psychology-psychiatrydiscriminate-against-people-with-mental-illness/
McLeod, S. (2007, April 17). Milgram Experiment | Simply Psychology. Retrieved March 31,
2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html