The psychology of evil

Philip Zimbardo, 2008, 23.14

★ESSENTIAL TALK★

BQ3 Spin

Human sciences,
language

Philip Zimbardo is a psychologist best known for his Stanford Prison experiment of 1971, in which
graduate students given power over their peers quickly began to abuse it in unexpected and
brutal ways.

Why is this talk worth watching? There are few concepts more interesting, important, and
divisive than whether or not there is an entity that we can identify as ‘evil’. Zimbardo discusses
whether it is individuals, or the system that engenders ‘evil’ to happen. NOTE - This talk deals
frankly with very strong issues.

Links to TOK The talk deals with the validity of this word in providing us with a way of
understanding human behaviour. It therefore primarily links language to the human sciences.

1 How does PZ view He sees it as totally permeable, with ‘good’ people capable 0.55
the line between of doing ‘evil’ things & vice versa.
good and evil?

2 What is his The exercise of power to intentionally harm, hurt, destroy, or 2.40
psychological commit crimes against humanity. Power is the key word.
definition of evil?

3 How does he He believes the US personnel there were not prepared for 3.10
explain what the mission, it was the power and system that was
happened in the responsible for the crimes that occurred.
Abu Ghraib?
4 What does PZ a) The psychological makeup of individuals involved; b) The 7.40
mean by: a) The situation or system in which they are behaving; c) Those who
Bad Apples; b) The have created the situation or system.
Bad Barrel; c) Bad
Barrel-Makers

5 What is PZ’s ‘Lucifer It celebrates the fact that the human mind is capable of 8.55
Effect’ theory? virtually any mode of behaviour, but can be profoundly
influenced by the system in which it operates.

6 How does Milgram concluded that ordinary people placed in a position 10.00
Milgram’s work of power were relatively easily persuaded to harm (even
support that of PZ? fatally) other humans.

7 What was the It was a graduate student study about what happens when 13.00
Stanford Prison you put ‘good apples’ in a position of power. The study had to
study, of 1971? be halted because of the level of abuse meted out by the
‘prison guards’ on the ‘prisoners’.

8 What paradigm shift We need to focus less on the medical level, and more on the 18.20
does PZ propose in institutional level – ie, the situation in which these acts occur,
order to prevent and the way in which the situations are controlled.
further examples
such as Abu
Ghraib?

9 What three things 1. Inspire the hostile imagination; or (conversely) 2. Inspire the 20.30
do situations have heroic imagination; 3. Render passive bystanders guilty of
the power to do? ‘the evil’ of inaction.

Further exploration
● To what extent are we influenced by circumstances when making moral decisions?
● Are the terms ‘evil’ and ‘good’ useful to us as we explore human science issues?
● To what extent do we act independently of the situation and society in which we are based?
● Can war be waged ‘ethically’?