Comparing Abu Ghraib And Stanford Prison Experiment

Jesus Guadarrama
Ms. LaPorta
English 100
15 December 2011
Hidden side of mankind Throughout history, execrable acts of corrupt human behavior have stunned mankind. While one might not see themselves capable of committing acts of torture towards others, and possibly killing another human being, experiments and real historical events have proven that there is a gruesome side within human beings expressed when placed in a position of power or control. Those who are not in that position expect those who are to act with a moral conscience, but it is easier said than done. The Abu Ghraib scandal and Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison experiment demonstrate the powerful role that a situation can play in altering human behavior. Abu Ghraib and the
At Abu Ghraib, the detainees were perceived as the enemy likewise, the prisoners at Stanford were also seen as a threat. At Stanford, guards felt the need to maintain everything under control. Upon arrival, the prisoners at Stanford were stripped down, given a dress as a uniform, and given ID numbers. Each prisoner had to be referred to and can only refer himself by number. Unlike the military, a stocking cap was placed on the head as a substitute for having the prisoner’s hair shaved off. The prisoners were to wear a heavy chain on there right ankle at all times. The use of a dress makes the male prisoners feel emasculated. Many of the prisoners began to hold themselves differently, walking and sitting more like a woman than like a man. The chain on their ankles was a constant reminder of their environment. In addition, the stocking cap that they were ordered to wear minimized the individuality. Many tend to express their individuality through hair style. As done in the military, removing the hair is part of the process of making everyone conform to a different from of authority. In Abu Ghraib, there was less of a need to objectify a detainee as the environment surrounding them already does so. Like in Stanford and any other normal prison, the detainees at Abu Ghraib were made to wear a uniform. The Stanford prison experiment put a lot of emphasis on making sure that the prisoners felt a sense
They were treated a lot worse in Abu Ghraib, only because the guards had permission to do so. If it wasn’t for the limits set on the guards at Stanford, the way the prisoners were treated could have been just as bad as the detainees at Abu Ghraib were. Many guards at Abu Ghraib saw their treatment towards the prisoners as “bragging rights” (Kounalakis, par. 15), making them seem as better guards to the others. Many guards “turned a blind eye” (Alkadry and Witt 149) when the torture of the detainees occurred. If it wasn’t for those who were not taken away by the atmosphere of the place they were in, the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib would remain unknown. The guards at Stanford were quick to adjust to their new positions as guards. They went into it as if knowing what to do. Human nature has a way of adapting to a new environment when made to do so. Being in a different culture can alter the way one acts. The prisoners at Abu Ghraib were in a completely differ part of the world then from what they were used too. The environment changed them as human beings and made them act in ways they wouldn’t normally act. As so did the change of persona placed on the guards at Stanford change them as humans and did the same to them as to the guards at Abu