Philip Zimbardo Accomplishments
Philip Zimbardo was born on March 23, 1933. He studied and attended both Brooklyn College and Yale University. He majored in three areas: sociology, anthropology, and psychology. In 1977, he developed the Stanford Shyness Clinic. The clinic helped people get over shyness in social environments. Before working at Stanford University he taught at New York University and Columbia University, where he also was a professor of psychology. He then began working at Stanford University as a professor. He created the Heroic Imagination Project. It is an organization that aims to teach people the skills needed to make difficult decisions in stressful or challenging situations. The project stresses that everyday people must speak up and stand up for what
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He also studied shyness, motivation, and other human behaviors. For example, he would study why a usually quiet and reserved person would speak out or be loud. His most famous contribution is the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1971. The basement of the psychology department in Stanford University was turned into a prison-like setting. The study included 24 male college participants. Some participants were assigned to be “guards” and others “prisoners” in a fake/mock prison. The study had to be ended after six days because of the way the participants acted. The guards acted very cruel to the prisoners. They made them do certain tasks that degraded prisoners; they also tortured them. Many of the “prisoners” became depressed and emotionally scarred. This study is important because it shows how people can act differently in positions of authority. Not only can this be applied to prisons or similar settings, it can be applied to everyday life. If there is a difference of power between people, it can make a person or a group of people act differently than the usually do. It helps people better understand how certain situations can affect how people act. Through this study and other research, he concluded that our lives are characterized by our perception of time. He also concluded that people are not aware the effect a certain time period has on one’s feelings and the way they act. Also, the way a person sees time comes from personal
He also studied shyness, motivation, and other human behaviors. For example, he would study why a usually quiet and reserved person would speak out or be loud. His most famous contribution is the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted in 1971. The basement of the psychology department in Stanford University was turned into a prison-like setting. The study included 24 male college participants. Some participants were assigned to be “guards” and others “prisoners” in a fake/mock prison. The study had to be ended after six days because of the way the participants acted. The guards acted very cruel to the prisoners. They made them do certain tasks that degraded prisoners; they also tortured them. Many of the “prisoners” became depressed and emotionally scarred. This study is important because it shows how people can act differently in positions of authority. Not only can this be applied to prisons or similar settings, it can be applied to everyday life. If there is a difference of power between people, it can make a person or a group of people act differently than the usually do. It helps people better understand how certain situations can affect how people act. Through this study and other research, he concluded that our lives are characterized by our perception of time. He also concluded that people are not aware the effect a certain time period has on one’s feelings and the way they act. Also, the way a person sees time comes from personal