Ethical Violations in the Stanford Prison Experiment: A Critical Analysis
The Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971, is one of the most controversial studies in psychology. While it aimed to explore human behavior under simulated prison conditions, it violated key ethical principles, including informed consent, protection from harm, and respect for participants’ dignity. The study’s psychological abuse, lack of oversight, and failure to end promptly exposed participants to severe distress. Consequently, it led to stricter ethical standards within psychological research and the reinforcement of APA guidelines.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Web.
Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2019). Rethinking the nature of cruelty: The role of identity leadership in the Stanford prison experiment. American Psychologist, 74(7), p. 809. Web.
McLeod, S. (2023). Stanford prison experiment: Zimbardo’s famous study. Simply Sociology. Web.
Olson, R.E. (2021). Emotions in human research ethics guidelines: Beyond risk, harm and pathology. Qualitative Research, 1(1). Web.
Perera, A. (2023). Stanford prison experiment summary. Simply Sociology. Web.
Reference
StudyCorgi. (2025, October 4). Ethical Violations in the Stanford Prison Experiment: A Critical Analysis. https://studycorgi.video/ethical-violations-in-the-stanford-prison-experiment-a-critical-analysis/