As we read The Crucible last week, one theme that repeatedly appeared was the mass hysteria that took control over the citizens of Salem during the Salem Witch Trials. We noted the ease with which the townspeople fell into the roles that contradicted their true characters (or at least what their characters appeared to be outside of the trials). It seemed as though the characters were deliberately directing their eyes away from logic, truth, and reality. Within their disguises, the townspeople truly became forces of evil, condemning the innocent and disturbing the rigid social structure of the Puritan community.
Although the extreme situations in The Crucible seem almost absurdly impossible, a psychological study on prison life conducted in the 1970’s at Stanford proved how real those situations could be. In this two week long study, 24 average students were selected and assigned to act as either prison guard or prisoner in a mock prison. The students quickly adapted to their roles; in fact, after only six days, they seemed to forget that they were acting in a simulation, and the interactions between the “guards” and “prisoners” became so aggressive that the study had to be stopped.
It’s so simple to fall into things; sometimes your life just falls into place in front of you, and you’re going too fast to make rational decisions about which path to take. In retrospect, the decisions always seem obvious...Sometimes I look around me and try to figure out who, out of the people I know, would be the “good guys” in these scenarios of mass hysteria (and who would I be?). It’s truly scary to think that we can become so easily what we pretend to be, that we can so mindlessly throw away our identities for new ones.
For more information on the Stanford Prison Experiment: http://www.prisonexp.org/
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ReplyDeleteI love the questions you pose!
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ReplyDeleteNice post! I really liked how you related it to a two week study. I also really liked your last line saying,"we can so mindlessly throw away our identities for new ones." That is very true and plays such a role in many people's lives.
ReplyDeleteThe questions you pose are so simple, yet so profound. The part where you say, "Sometimes I look around me and try to figure out who, out of the people I know, would be the “good guys” in these scenarios of mass hysteria," is incredibly thought-provoking. It's amazing how much insight you pack into each point of your overall message. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that was wonderful read. I like how, even though your larger point was about mass hysteria, panic, and the corruptness of power, you chose not to belabor those points and focus on a small part of the issue. The fact that you've cited a real life example, rather than fiction, I think, just reinforces your tacit point.
ReplyDeleteHmm the prison experiment reminds me of Lord of the Flies; the boys in the story also quickly adapt to their new surroundings on the island and seem to become different people. Interesting.
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