English 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English 12 - Essay Example experiment, average college students were gathered and placed into a prison environment, where they were quick to take on the roles of guards and prisoners. They acted in the ways that they thought they should have; they understood the situation so much that their personalities were taken over to accompany the situation. In my opinion, I agree with the thoughts of Zimbardo and Buchanan in regards to the fact that people are pitted against the natural forces of negative situations. There are many instances when a person is already familiar with the behaviors of a person or a role, so when they are put in similar situations, they react in a way that they are already aware of. As aforementioned, many people just act how they think they should; it is not so much the fear of judgment by others, but the fact that they should perform in a certain way, that there are expectations already set down for them. When people are put into a bad situation, they act as they see fit. Their behavior changes to help them get through whatever the situation is; oddly enough, it seems that most people resort to negative behaviors and actions than positive ones. An adrenaline rush from the situation may bring on the negative reactions, or perhaps people just feel a certain strength from being tough in a situation, even if it is negative. If the situation they are can be considered bad or evil, the person may act accordingly. In a bad situation, how else should a person act? In accordance to the situation itself. I also believe that conformity plays a large role in how people act in situations that can be deemed bad or negative. In some cases, people follow the behaviors of others that are in the same situation. Zimbardos prison experiment is an example of this - while some of the "prison guards" might have remained true to their personalities and typical behaviors, they noticed that others were strongly taking on the role of real prison guards. These other subjects conformed to the