The Stanford Prison Experiment and Blue/Brown Eyes Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) was a psychological study designed to investigate the conflict between military guards and prisoners (BBC 1). It helps to understand the psychology of imprisonment. In this video, prison guards are given authority to watch over prisoners. Throughout their interaction, the guards supervise the prisoners by applying authoritarian measures. The guards also subject prisoners to torture. On the other hand, the blue/brown eye experiment is also designed to understand the problem of racism and discrimination (Elliot 1). The blue/brown eye exercise labels people as superior or inferior on the basis of the color of their eyes. Evidence of Stanford Prison Experiment and blue/brown eye exercise are common in everyday life. In the school set up, the relationship between school prefects and students is sometimes sour. This is because the authority that the school vests on prefects subdues their values and force them to act in a particular way.
Important insight to remember
The most important insight to remember from these videos is the ability of artificial authority to take control of our psychology and make people behave in a certain manner. In workplaces, bosses are usually revered by their subordinates because the authority they wield influences their behavior. In this regard, people should be viewed as capable of changing their behavior temporarily when they are psychologically triggered to behave in a certain manner.
Strategies to overcome barriers to ethical action
Barriers to ethical action include diffusion of responsibility, compliance with authority, bystander effect, mob mentality and acting the roles we have been asked to perform. To overcome these barriers, there is need for an individual to employ rationalism. Every human action should be guided by principle (O’Neill 4). In this regard, inculcating rationalism will enable an individual to behave in a way that consistent with his beliefs and principles regardless of his position of influence.
Work Cited
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “The Stanford Prison Experiment”. YouTube. 2012.
Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYv3J12pARM&feature=youtu.be
Elliot, Jane. “Blue eyes, brown eyes experiment.” YouTube. 2013. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuvbTR_Ke2c&feature=youtu.be
O'Neill, Onora. Acting on principle: An essay on Kantian ethics. Cambridge University Press,
2013.
