“If you want to change a person, you've got to change the situation.” IfsWantPersonsSituation Author:Philip Zimbardo
“We all like to think that the line between good and evil is impermeable--that people who do terrible things, such as commit murder, treason, or kidnapping, are on the evil side of this line, and the rest of us could never cross it. But the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgram studies revealed the permeability of that line. Some people are on the good side only because situations have never coerced or seduced them to cross over.” PeopleThinkingEvilSidesLinesSituationStudyTerribleCrossesMurderPrisonExperimentsCommitGood And EvilTerrible ThingsTreasonKidnappingStanfordEvil Side Author:Philip Zimbardo
“In one sense, the Stanford prison study is more like a Greek drama than a traditional experiment, in that we have humanity, represented by a bunch of good people, pitted against an evil-producing situation. The question is, does the goodness of the people overwhelm the bad situation, or does the bad situation overwhelm the good people?” PeopleDoeHumanityEvilSituationStudyDramaGoodnessPrisonExperimentsBunchTraditionalGreekGood PeopleStanfordBad SituationsGreek Drama Author:Philip Zimbardo
“The "Lucifer Effect" describes the point in time when an ordinary, normal person first crosses the boundary between good and evil to engage in an evil action. It represents a transformation of human character that is significant in its consequences. Such transformations are more likely to occur in novel settings, in "total situations," where social situational forces are sufficiently powerful to overwhelm, or set aside temporally, personal attributes of morality, compassion, or sense of justice and fair play.” FirstsHumansPersonsPlayCharacterActionEvilForceSocialJusticePowerfulCompassionSituationNovelEffectsMoralityNormalOrdinaryConsequenceFairsCrossesTransformationSignificantBoundariesSettingSettingsGood And EvilAttributesLuciferFair Play Author:Philip Zimbardo
“When I look back on it, I think, "Why didn't you stop the cruelty earlier?" To stand back was contrary to my upbringing and nature. When I stood back as a noninterfering experimental scientist, I was, in a sense, as drawn into the power of the situation as any prisoners and guards.” ThinkingLooksSituationScientistContraryCrueltyPrisonerUpbringing Author:Philip Zimbardo
“That human behavior is more influenced by things outside of us than inside. The situation is the external environment. The inner environment is genes, moral history, religious training.” HumansReligiousSituationMoralEnvironmentBehaviorTrainingGenesHuman BehaviorExternal Environment Author:Philip Zimbardo
“Heroes are those who can somehow resist the power of the situation and act out of noble motives, or behave in ways that do not demean others when they easily can.” WaySituationPowerHeroNobleBehaveMotiveHeroicSocial Psychology Author:Philip Zimbardo
“What happens when good people are put into an evil place? Do they triumph or does the situation dominate their past history and morality?” PeopleDoeHappensPastEvilSituationMoralityTriumphGood People Author:Philip Zimbardo
“If you put good apples into a bad situation, you’ll get bad apples.” IfsSituationApplesSocial PsychologyBad SituationsBad Apple Author:Philip Zimbardo
“... In contrast to the "banality of evil," which posits that ordinary people can be responsible for the most despicable acts of cruelty and degradation of their fellows, I posit the "banality of heroism," which unfurls the banner of the heroic Everyman and Everywoman who heed the call to service to humanity when their time comes to act. When that bell rings, they will know that it rings for them. It sounds a call to uphold what is best in human nature that rises above the powerful pressures of Situation and System as the profound assertion of human dignity opposing evil.” PeopleKnowsHumansHumanityEvilSoundPowerfulSituationHuman NatureHeroOrdinaryDignityPressureResponsibleFellowsProfoundRingsCrueltyHeroicContrastBellsHeroismOrdinary PeopleRise AboveAssertionOpposingHeedDegradationBeing ResponsibleHuman DignityBannerDespicableService To HumanityBanalityEveryman Author:Philip Zimbardo
“We like to think there is this core of human nature – that good people can't do bad things, and that good people will dominate over bad situations. Infact, when we look at the Stanford prison studies, that we put good people in an evil place, and we saw who won. Well, the sad message in this, is in this case is the evil place won over the good people.” PeopleThinkingHumansWellsLooksEvilSituationCasesStudySawsHuman NatureMessagesPrisonCoreBad ThingsGood PeopleStanfordBad Situations Author:Philip Zimbardo
