What drives good people to do evil things without blinking?

by EdenOne 16 Replies latest jw friends

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    Yes, there's also:

    Zimbardo's prison experiment. Subjects assigned a position of authority took on their assignments with frightening enthusiasm.

    http://www.prisonexp.org/

    Much more mundane, but the peer pressure to give a wrong answer (Asch-Conformity).

    http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html

    Then we have the real-life example of Abu Ghraib.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil?language=en

  • EdenOne
    EdenOne

    Thank you, Jgnat.

    I just went through the first link on the Zimbardo's experiment. It's awfully disturbing. If one thinks that "prision guards" = congregation elders / CO's can be intoxicated by their own authority with such ease, then it's no wonder that they take on the role so agressively. Especially because they are given certain (imaginary) 'perks', such as participation in exclusive schools, seminars, being privy to certain informations otherwise not accessible to the R&F, that makes them feel privileged - and they're not prepared to let go of that status. They too are victims in this pyramid scheme, I'd say.

    Eden

  • James Brown
    James Brown

    I think if good people do evil.

    They were not really good.

    It was just a show.

    Or a misinterpretation of the observer.

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    James Brown, Zimbardo demonstrates very well that every one lives on a razor's edge of goodness. It takes very little to tip them over. This coincides with the bible description of evil.

  • AudeSapere
    AudeSapere

    marking

  • James Brown
    James Brown

    jnat

    The bible also says no man is good not one.

    Romans 3:10

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    There you go, James Brown. We both know our bible.

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