Can Social Psychological Research Help Explain the Abu Ghraib Prison Scand~

[Keny]

ISSUE 9. Can Social Psychological Research Help Explain the Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal?

YES: CLAUDIA WALLIS ET AL., FROM “WHY DID THEY DO IT? ARE THOSE CHARGED WITH ABUSE A FEW BAD APPLES, OR ARE THEY JUST LIKE THE REST OF US?” TIME (MAY 17, 2004)

NO: WILLIAM SALETAN, FROM “SITUATIONIST ETHICS: THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT DOESNT EXPLAIN ABU GHRAIB,” SLATE.COM (MAY 12, 2004)

Claudia Wallis describes the results of social psychology experiments that suggest that psychologically normal individuals can engage in acts of cruelty when placed in an environment like the Abu Ghraib prison. William Saletan argues that blaming the situation, rather than holding the individuals who committed the abuse accountable, is a ploy used by those who perpetrated the acts to evade responsibility for their actions.