BookTalk.org

Zimbardo spends 170 pages giving a very detailed account of the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this thread, we can talk about what happened: either the broader structure or particular events of interest.

Zimbardo said (p. 237):

Moreover, the bystanders did not see the more severe abuses as they were unfolding, nor were the participants willing to disclose them fully to outsiders, even to close friends and families.

Zimbardo said (p. 239):

He [Doug] did his dissertation on shame (of the prisoner status) and guilt (of the guard status),...

Why is the fact of powerlessness, of being the victim of abuse, accompanied by feelings of shame? It seems undeniable that being mistreated by another person causes the victim to feel shamed, even if the victim is a very young child being sexually abused by an adult. What I cannot grasp is why such feelings have come to be--what purpose they serve or once served. They cause the victim even greater pain and often are an obstacle to asking for help or seeking escape from the abusive situation, and subsequently they hinder a healthy recovery from past abuse.