National Geographic takes a look at a famous psychological experiment in its new documentary, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth. A powerful journey through the six-day experiment, it is based on the first-hand accounts of the prisoners and guards who tell their stories on camera for the first time.
The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth premieres on Wednesday, November 13, at 8 pm ET on the National Geographic Channel and will be available to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu the following day.
Their stories weave a narrative that explores the mind of Dr Philip Zimbardo, the lead researcher, but also raises larger questions about human nature and perspective. The series takes an unexpected twist when participants are taken to a mock "prison" film set where they revisit key moments and strive to understand and make sense of what happened in those six days.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth
What is the Nat Geo show The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth about?
Nat Geo's new docu-series, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth takes a fresh look at this famous experiment, bringing new insights and raising serious questions about the narrative commonly associated with the study. Honest interviews with former participants allow us to see the experiment in a different light.
In August 1971, on the last day of summer vacation, Stanford psychology professor Philip Zimbardo gathered two dozen male students for what he described as "a psychological study of prison life". The basement of a university building was converted into a mock prison, with some students assigned as prisoners and others as guards.
But the experiment quickly took a sadistic turn as the guards encouraged, taunted, humiliated and severely punished the prisoners. Some prisoners had breakdowns. Zimbardo had to abandon the study after just six days into its planned two-week duration.
Although thoroughly unethical, the experiment succeeded in proving that situations can make even ordinary people behave like tyrants, according to Zimbardo:
"The power of the situation".
How did power, authority, and manipulation play their part in the Stanford Prison experiment?
The Stanford Prison experiment was supposed to be a highly controlled study. However, participants such as Eshleman and Ramsay say that they were forced into roles. These people were not given time to find them for themselves and were guided to behave in ways that met Zimbardo's goals for the study.
From the outset, Zimbardo, as a designer and also as a "director", wielded enormous authority, which would have made it difficult for people to ignore it when determining how to behave.
In the series, Ramsay said he was assigned the role of a prisoner and was shocked by the conditions he faced. When he first entered the 'prison', he believed he was facing controlled research or academic study rather than the intense psychological pressure he was under.
His decision to go on hunger strike stemmed from his dissatisfaction with what he felt was the exploitative nature of the experiment. He said:
“I did that only because I was certain that I had to create some kind of fear of consequences in the experimenters.”
Ramsay expresses that now he feels traumatized looking back at how Zimbardo used their worst sides to build up his career.
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The Stanford Prison Experiment is available for fans to stream on Nat Geo.
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