stanford-prison-experiment
A 1971 psychological study simulating prison conditions that purported to show how situational forces can lead to cruelty and loss of human values.
1 chapter across 1 book
So You've Been Publicly Shamed (2015)Jon Ronson
The chapter critically examines Gustave Le Bon's 19th-century crowd theory, highlighting its racist and misogynistic foundations and its influence on historical figures and psychological experiments like Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment. It challenges the notion of crowds as irrational and mindless, revealing through participant interviews and expert critiques that crowd behavior often involves ideological intent and moral justification. The author reflects on the complexities of public shaming, acknowledging personal involvement driven by a desire to do good while recognizing the darker impulses underlying such collective actions.