Philip G. Zimbardo

Discusses why people are susceptible to the power of evil, the ability of group dynamics and situational pressures to transform human behavior, the significance of disobedience, and the true nature of heroism.

Understanding how Good People Turn Evil

The Lucifer Effect

In a disturbing and revelatory exploration of the human capacity for evil, renowned psychologist Zimbardo examines how everyone is susceptible to the power of malevolence. He also offers hope and guidance, elucidating the importance of true heroism and disobedience.

How Good People Turn Evil

Flavia Louise

Really interesting book but quite long and not quite honest about the SPE at all points

I think it was a really good look at the Stanford Prison Experiment. The experiment itself had tons of issues that make me wonder why it has stayed so popular in psychology classes. I think it is widely mistaught as a show of what power does to people, when it should really be an example of how not to run an experiment. 

The biggest issue I had was that Zimbardo either decided or was told that he needed more pages, so he went off on a tangent about the Iraq/Iran mistreatment of prisoners. And that isn't to say it isn't relevant to his work. It is probably the closest situation I ok what he created in the SPE. It just got railroaded with some politics and then he tried to end on a "positive note" about heroism. He could have easily cut 100+ pages and said the same thing.

Worth a read if you're into criminology, psychology, or want a look at what might have caused some of the atrocious behavior with those prisoners.

The Lucifer Effect Understanding how Good People Turn Evil

Reviews