The Prison Study That Ended in Six Days
In 1971, a Stanford basement became a fake prison where student guards turned cruel and prisoners broke down within days. This episode follows one participant's descent and the mounting evidence that the experiment's famous conclusions were partly staged, forcing a reckoning with what it really proved.
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Researchers paid twenty-four college students fifteen dollars a day to simulate a prison environment.
The experiment ended after six days because guards adopted sadistic personas and prisoners suffered psychological breakdowns.
Archival records reveal that research staff actively coached guards to create fear and remove individual identities.
One guard admitted he intentionally performed a cruel character to help the researchers achieve their goals.
A twenty nineteen study confirmed that specific instructions from authority figures pre-load participants for aggressive behavior.
The study is now viewed as a scripted performance rather than an inevitable descent into tyranny.
- 01Intro1 min
- 02The Descent of Prisoner 86123 min
- 03The Guard's Persona2 min
- 04The Scripted Rebellion3 min
- 05The Enduring Myth1 min
- 06Outro1 min
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