OK, so the video didn't quite pan out on Tuesday, but today, I know it will work! And, I think it will add a nice layer to our previous discussions of authority and group minds...
Please watch the video below (about 30 minutes), and then see the prompts below to answer. Your responses should be posted by Friday at noon. Please be aware that some of the video is disturbing in that it features people reacting to being "in prison."
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=677084988379129606#
Now, in the comments section, please answer the following:
1. Did anything in this video surprise you? What?
2. Did this video support your existing ideas about authority and/or group minds, or challenge it? How so?
3. Which of the readings do you plan on using for your critique? Why? (Remember you need to come to class on Tuesday knowing which one you will use).
Thanks!
1. The video surprised me when it stated that the prisoners no longer thought about their name. Their number was who they were. They no longer knew the difference between make up and reality.
ReplyDelete2.Yes the video supported my exisiting ideas about authority and group minds because I believe that a person's thoughts or actions are influenced by their peers and environment.
3.I plan on using Opinion and Social Pressure. I have the same thoughts about how groups can change a persons decision or actions.
1.Well the Stanford experiment was honestly quite an eye opener for the simple fact of how chaotic that it became of the course of a week or so. The mindset of having power over someone can alter personalities in an extreme fashion, for both the prisoners and guards. The guards believed they had more power than they actually had, for symbolic reasons, they had glasses which hid their eyes and were given certain items that made them feel as if they were in control. The prisoners on the other hand though had nothing but clothes that could be a possibility why they felt so helpless. This experiment was a psychological one with the time slowly ticking away it was only matter of time until they cracked as they did. I was not surprised with this result for one simple reason, I already knew the results beforehand, but honestly it was a shock to see what a little power can do to change a person.
ReplyDelete2.Well this experiment definitely showed the concept of authority figures, but I believe this came about in a very negative way. Authority figures in this fashion are a prime example of how power can go straight to your head.
3.For my reading I want to pursue The Perils of Obedience because it closely relates to my major, which is psychology so I believe this will help benefit me in two different academic ways.
-Frank Machado
1. After having viewed the video, what has surprised me the most is not the behavior by the guards, but the behavior by the psychologist. The psychologist decided to take on the role of warden, and just like the guards he transformed into a warden forgetting who he really was. This jumped out to me because without a psychologist overseeing the experiment, who was caring for the wellbeing of the prisoners. I think this is the reason as to why the experiment got out of control because of the inability of the professor to play the role of Warden, and to keep control as a psychologist.
ReplyDelete2. After the readings and the videos I have come to a conclusion that humans are willing to do some of the most horrible actions under certain circumstances. I do not believe the guards were truly bad people, it was simply that when giving the uniform, the environment, and power, they let themselves be transformed from a student into a full on guard. I also apply this to the Milgram experiment it the subjects weren’t bad people but many factors contributed to their actions.
3. I plan to use “The Perils of Obedience,” I think when you read this essay it leaves you thinking of human beings as horrible people, I would like to critique it and show other points of view that could be taken when looking at the actions by the subjects.
-Isidoro Medrano
1.Did anything in this video surprise you? What?
ReplyDeleteThe Stanford Experiment did surprise in many ways. It was shocking to imagine that a little experiment can turn out into something that people least expect. Its hard to imagine that someone’s attitude and change can change if they are given some type of authority. What surprised me the most in the video was when the prisoners really thought that it was a real prison, they couldn’t distinguish between reality and fantasy.
2. Did this video support your existing ideas about authority and/or group minds, or challenge it? How so?
The video did support my existing ideas about authority and group minds. The Stanford Experiment supports my opinion and makes it stronger. I believe that authority can play a huge part in someone’s life whether it is for the best or the worst. Either way our “group” or what we classify as authority manipulates and influences ones actions and opinions.
3. Which of the readings do you plan on using for your critique? Why? (Remember you need to come to class on Tuesday knowing which one you will use
I don’t know what reading I plan on using, but I will find out soon. I think all the articles we read had very good points and interesting ideas. It’s going to be hard to choose but I will choose one soon.
Gladis Rojas
1.What caught my eye in the video is how things can change over in a week. I thought it was silly how the guards thought they had so much power and thinking to themselves they have all control. It was really sad how the couldn't tell themselves that they were not living in reality.I guess also the appearances can show others who is boss and that gave the guards more power.
ReplyDelete2.The video did support my existing ideas about authority and group minds. The Stanford experiment really does support my opinion on how an authority can control some one. A group can be seen as a no authority to figure. What the group says it what goes. So really you have the choice whether or not you want to follow.
3. The reading that I plan to use is group minds. It was very interesting because I find it shocking that there is no individuality.
Kimberly Romero
1. Did anything in this video surprise you? What?
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by the fact that people could mistreat willing knowing that it was an experiment. The participants who were giving the role of prison guards were aware that it was a fake scenario but they still chose to demonstrate cruelty to the prisoners who were also playing a role. The guards knew that the prisoners had not committed a crime but they still punished them and treated them with disrespect.
2. Did this video support your existing ideas about authority and/or group minds, or challenge it? How so
The video does support my idea that people of all ages fall into peer pressure. The prison guards at first were not demonstrating cruelty but once a guard stepped up and decided to play the role of a cruel man, everyone else followed what he did. No one stood up against the idea and went with the flow.
3. Which of the readings do you plan on using for your critique? Why? (Remember you need to come to class on Tuesday knowing which one you will use).
I plan to use the reading by Solomon E. Ash. I thought it was interesting how the experiment conducted demonstrated how people cave into peer pressure unconsciously. The subjects knew what the right thing to do was, but most still chose to follow the crowd in fear of rejection.
Jennifer Melo
1. The Stanford Prison Experiment form me was very shocking. I could not believe that in the course of four days people were having nervous break downs because of an experiment. It was also disturbing how deeply these people took to heart there role in the experiment. The "John Wayne" character thought it was ok to humiliate the prisoners because that was his "role", and how the prisoners lost their identity and thought they were "just a number". All of the participants were so involved in the experiment that they lost there grasp on reality and the prison became their only reality. The one thing that really struck me about the experiment was how the "John Wayne" character tried to excuse his behavior by saying he was playing a role, but the prisoner who was subject to his humiliation stated that just because it was a role did not mean he needed to act it out in that manner.It was also surprising that the prisoners had no form of unity inside the prison almost shying away from the "group".
ReplyDelete2.This video did support my ideas about authority and group minds, but it also came to me that peoples view of reality can be changed so quickly from the ideas of an authority or group.
3. I plan on using Group Minds, because I feel that I can really apply it to everyday life, and show that her ideas are valid.
by Cody Bills
ReplyDelete1. In the video was definately surprised at the fact that all of the guards were given equal authority and as the so called "jon whayne" guard continued to verbally abuse the prisoners, the other guards, although they were against what he was doing, did not step in to intervene. They sat back at watched his actions at the expense of the prisoners. I was also surprised that no one was in the actual prison with the ability to stop the experiment at any given moment. I was also surprised with the mentality that the prisoners developed over the coarse of the experiment and the cloud that was put over them.
2.The stanford prison experiment supported my point of view on authority and group minds because when a person is presented with an authority figure, the person/people tend to act accordingly with what that authority says. In the prison experiment the authority figure became the "john whayne" guard. The other guards and the prisoners all followed the instructions given by him. There was one prisoner that did rebel against the guards and mr john whayne, but the majority did follow. Because the mind set of the overall group was to follow the authority figure, that is what they continued to do.
3.Im thinking about doing my essay on Group minds because I can see examples from the article in present day places like high school, religion, and social groups. The article caught my attention by saying that every person desires a type of group acceptance.
by Cody Bills
1. The video surprised me that not enough people rebelled against the guards. It was extremely shocking to see how in a few days of the experiment, people’s mind had been corruptive. Even the superintendent’s mind was corruptive, instead of stopping the experiment when he should have, he did not. Having to watch the prisoners be stripped down of the clothes was disturbing, having bags over there heads while going to the bathroom was wrong. In just a matter of days the experiment was no longer a pretend game, it was a prison.
ReplyDelete2. This video supported my ideas on the article, “Group Minds” by Doris Lessing. When the prisoners were asked if they would rather release one of the prisoners from the hole or have keep their blankets for the night, the vote was three to one. Majority won in the prison.
3. I plan to write on either “Group Minds, or “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem. The second article interested me more on how disobedience and obedience has played a major role in human behavior for the past centuries, but group minds supports more of my ideas on human beings reasons to stand up to authority.
Abigail Chaidez
What surprised me about the experiment is how quickly the students took on their new personas. The guards in specific were inhumane towards the prisoners; and one of the guards mentioned that he based his role on a movie character. So then, this comes to show how the student’s perception about guards being in authority, and prisoners being submissive affected how they would act and react.
ReplyDeleteThe footage supported my idea about authority, and how people tend to follow those in a higher position because they have more power. There is also a fear among those in a lower position to counterattack those with more power over them. Also, in the experiment one of the prisoners was locked up in a dark room for not eating, and the guards would let him out with the condition that the other prisoners give up their blankets. However, the other prisoners did not accept to compromise. This event shows how as humans we tend to be selfish, and only think about ourselves. Furthermore, the prisoner who went on a hunger strike was doing so in response to the mistreatment from the guards. However, the rest of the inmates did not follow him because he was a prisoner, and in their eyes a prisoner has no authority or sense of intelligence to bring about change.
For my critique, I will use the article “Group Minds,” because it is intriguing how people follow groups and cliques. Also, it ties into the authority theme and how people want to satisfy those who are above them, or who they feel are above their status.
Xiomara Valdizon
1. Did anything in this video surprise you? What?
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that the prisoners over time came to be real prisoners, as they began identifying one another by their numbers rather than their actual names. The fact that no one stopped the experiment and allowed the abuse to continue was quite shocking as well. I was surprised at how quickly the roles tookover the subjects.
2. Did this video support your existing ideas about authority and/or group minds, or challenge it? How so?
Yes because when given a sense of empowerment the guards really thought they were guards and the prisons suffered as if they were real guards. The guards felt that they were given power by an authority figure and had the right to torture the prisoners because they assumed the roles of wrongdoers. The prisoners began to recognize the authority role of the guards and the experiment became a very real situation over time to the point where the guards didn't stop john wayne from continuing his abuse and the prisoners were subject to it. John Wayne was given power and authority and used it to full capacity he was questioned by the prisoners who who tortured but I believe they would they do the same in reverse roles.
3. Which of the readings do you plan on using for your critique? Why? (Remember you need to come to class on Tuesday knowing which one you will use).
I still haven't chosen a reading, I have to go back over them and really decide. They are all so interesting that it is hard to narrow it down to just one however I will know by Tuesday. The two I have narrowed it down to are The Perils of Obedience and Opinions and Social Pressure.
Randy Ou
1) Did anything in this video surprise you? What?
ReplyDeleteThis video was a very good example of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. When a group of men go into an experiment where half of them are prisoners and half are guards, the guards start to get really involved with their role. After a few days in the prisoners started to get abused by the guards, often making them do embarrassing or tough work. It's amazing to see that when people are given power, it can completely change who they are as a person.
2) Did this video support your existing ideas about authority and/or group minds, or challenge it? How so?
This video supported what my existing ideas about authority. There were a few guards that didn't partake in hurting the prisoners, but then there were the corrupt ones who did act violently. I think that for the most part, police in our society are not too corrupt. I am sure there are a few, but not so much to say that authority given to every person will be corrupt.
3)Which of the readings do you plan on using for your critique? Why? (Remember you need to come to class on Tuesday knowing which one you will use).
I plan to use either Group Minds, because the topic is so prevalent in our culture today and examines a lot of different humanistic patterns, or Opinions and Social Pressure , because it goes to show that a large number of people develop their opinions based on other people which leads to a lacking of individuality.
1. What surprised me in the video what the sudden change in personality of the prison guards. For the guards to be able to take on this persona caused them to be both brutal and demeaning. Although no physical violence ensued, the verbal abuse that the prisoners received drove them to their edge. The one guard who decided to pursue the inspiration he har received from the actor stood out to me. Even though he had to do his job, he lost self-control and didn't realize the monster he was turning himself into. It's intriguing that an experiment such as this could alter the minds of the people, including the person running it.
ReplyDelete2. This video supported the belief in the power authority can have over other individuals. Particular guards who felt more sympathy for the prisoners and assumed "kinder" roles didn't take initiative and stand up to the aggression of the "leader" guards. Even though all the guards possessed around the same status and power, the ones who wished to see prisoners treated better did nothing but stand back and idly watch. Those individuals who assert their power tend to be the ones who have the most influence over other groups.
3. I plan to use "Opinions and Social Pressure" for my critique because the article has elements that address social group thinking and the influence of an authority figure or figures
Andrew Williams