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What Are The Similarities Between The Stanford Prison Experiment And Lord Of The Flies

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The scientific study of human being’s actions, behaviors and thoughts is called physiology. William Golding uses his novel to show the natural actions and behaviors of human beings. Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys that are stranded on an island without adult supervision. Eventually, the boys become uncivilized because they are in an environment with no organization or rules. William Golding proved that a society, without restrictions, can turn people into savages. The Stanford Prison Experiment is similar and very comparable to the actions and behaviors of the characters in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. A physiologist named Philip Zimbardo focused on studying the insanity, evil and violence of human nature. All of these things …show more content…

The boys became savages due to not having a society based on rules and order. Also, they grew out their hair to be long and greasy, their skin was burnt and peeled, and they were dirty. Because of these reasons, the boys forgot who they were and lost their identities. “He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered towards Bill and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding, 64). In a similar way, in the Stanford Prison Experiment the boy’s personalities changed. The guards became increasingly aggressive towards the prisoners by the first two days. Everyone in this experiment lost their identities because they became too attached to playing as a guard or as a prisoner. Not only that, but the prisoners were called by their number and they were forced to wear head caps and smocks. The guards wore the same uniform with sun glasses. This contributed to the prisoners and guards becoming too attached in playing their roles. In both examples, the boys had a new identity that was first created by themselves or by another person. Either way, all of the boys were not the same people before the plane crash or the

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