Fallen Angels: The Lucifer Effect

General overview of a controversial study conducted following the revelation of torture in the Abu Ghriab Military Prison in Iraq. It is designed to explain the theory in an entertaining way.

Fallen Angels: The Lucifer Effect

 

“Nothing in life is to be feared, only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so we may fear less.”

-Marie Curie

 

            What is it about evil that intrigues the imagination? Why do we fall into the utter bliss of the unimaginable, grasping, with all of our might, onto events and people who shape our world by striking fear into our hearts? We have an intense, almost sociopathic fascination with the morbid and horrible, with thoughts, images, and actions so terrible awful so as to escape the understanding of the average human mind. Perhaps it is just that: we cannot imagine someone being so incredibly heartless, so naturally we seek to understand it. Perhaps it is in the demonstration of power, of utter, unquestionable control that these terrible people possess during their actions. Perhaps, though we are all weary to admit it, we too long for the satisfaction of ultimate power.

            But what exactly is evil? What makes something evil and something else normal? From one culture to another evil is very different. The 9/11 hijackers will forever be damned in the minds of Americans who watched in horror as these events unfolded before our eyes. Yet, to Muslim extremists, these same men will forever live on as a testament to all that is good and righteous. Put simply, evil is destruction. It is destruction of people and things, destruction of ideas. While we see what happened on that day as a destruction of physical structures and human life, as well as a failed attempt to destroy the impenetrable American Spirit, those who attacked us view it as the exact opposite. They see the creation of a new world order, one that they seek to control.

            I, like many others, have often pondered what makes some people turn into monsters. Are they born monsters? Or are they conditioned to become what they are? Through my research, I have come across the most plausible explanation for some of the most terrible events throughout human history. A long awaited answer for the unimaginable actions of Adolph Hitler, Charles Manson, Fidel Castro, Satan himself, and of course, President Barack Obama (satirical). Dr. Philip Zimbardo has extensively researched the causes of evil through a unique perspective. While most psychologists tend to focus on the inward, the individual, Dr. Zimbardo extended his study into the external, the environment, and has come up with a theory that I tend to agree with:

The Lucifer Effect.

 

            The event that sparked most of this research was Abu Ghraib, a military prison in Iraq. Over the course of three months, prisoners were subjected to unimaginable torture and humiliation. Guards took thousands of pictures, often posing in the pictures themselves, obviously enjoying the horrible things they were doing to their fellow human beings. But these guards were not bad people; they were average citizens, with normal lives. How then, did they turn into monsters?

            Often referred to as the ring leader of the abuses, the “bad apple” is Chip Frederick. Chip was, by all accounts, a model American citizen. A actively practicing Baptist, he attended Mass weekly. He was the type to bring in his flag each night, carefully folding it, and hang it proudly again each morning. He shed tears when our National Anthem was played. Chip had no previous mental history and showed no signs of psychopathic or sadistic tendencies prior to serving as a guard in the prison. Chip had nine military medals and awards, which were all publicly stripped after his trial, prior to his eight year prison sentence.

            The environment was a breeding ground for these horrific crimes to occur. All abuses were over the night shift, when no senior officers were present. Chip worked inhumanely, 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, and after his shift, he would sleep in another part of the prison. He never left. This, coupled with extreme fear of violent attacks from Iraqi citizens (there were at least five confirmed deaths of guards by citizens) and a complete lack of any formal training, plus the extreme stress of managing over 1,000 prisoners, probably significantly contributed to his behavior. But, as we will soon see, there is so much more to what happened.

 

**Before continuing I would like to acknowledge that all of the acts of torture were directly encouraged and endorsed by Major General Geoffrey Miller, General Ricardo Sanchez, and, above all, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense under the Bush Administration. While not entering any personal opinions on the matter, I feel that light should be shed on the truth. While these men used Chip Frederick as a scapegoat, they should all be faced with the same punishments he was, if not more severe.

 

 

 

 

            People aren’t born evil. In the same way that some may be born smart, or more athletically gifted, some may be born with more potential to become evil, perhaps due to some sort of neurological chemical imbalance. Likewise, though one may not be born particularly intelligent, through reading and a true desire to learn, coupled with a strong educational system and support, they may become the next Nicholas Tesla or Albert Einstein. The human mind is, by far, the most incredible and powerful tool known no mankind. I firmly believe that even with the incredible wealth of knowledge we have throughout the population today, not a single person has yet to even tap the very edge of what the human mind is truly capable of achieving. That is a fantastic thought. In every cliché parenting lecture there always comes the phrase “you can do anything you set your mind to”. You really can. And that includes becoming the most sadistic sociopathic b*****d the world has ever seen, but how?

            There have been multiple significant studies done on the effects of evil, and how easily people can be manipulated. I will discuss three of these experiments. In a 2007 lecture by Dr. Zimbardo, has poses the question, “If Hitler told you to shock a complete stranger, would you do it?”

            “Of course not” most would answer confidently, but I am willing to bet you would.

 

            In a 1963 study conducted at Yale University by Stanley Milgram, volunteers from local communities were asked to participate in a study. They were normal people, factory workers, city employees, and the like. Some were randomly picked to be “students” and others to be “teachers”. Questions would be asked, and if the “student” answered correctly, nothing would happen. If they answered wrong, however, the “teacher” would be required to administer a 15V electrical shock. With each successive wrong answer, voltage was increased by 30V, until the maximum of 450V. Usually, somewhere around the low 300V range, the subject would be shocked unconscious.

            Researchers were on hand as an authority figure. When “teachers” would become uncomfortable and try to get out of the experiment, the researchers would remove any excuse. They took responsibility for anything that may go wrong, reminded volunteers that they were in a verbal contract to complete the experiment, and generally made them feel obligated to continue.

            Psychologists predicted that only 1% of test subjects would continue with the experiment until the end. They claimed that this was indicative of sociopathic behavior, and very few members of the overall populace would be weak minded enough to stay in the experiment. They committed a fundamental attribution error, failing to see that this wasn’t testing sociopathic behavior, but rather the ability of individuals to walk away from a situation they know is wrong.  65% of subjects directly pumped 450V of electricity into a human being, whom they had no prior interaction with.

            Another important study, which was closely related to the prior, is seldom referenced. It is considered grossly inhumane, yet it has significant implications related to the overall understanding of the topic, and human nature as a whole. Critics often accused Milgram’s study of being falsely influenced, claiming the participants were actors, or at least could have been, which changed the way the “teachers” felt when administering shocks. So another study was conducted, this time using a small puppy as the subject of the electrical shock.

            The puppy was placed on an electrical grid. A light would turn on, at which point the puppy had a set amount of time to move to a safe area. If it did not, participants were required to administer a shock, and they directly watched the reaction of the dog. This time, participants were psychology students and those in charge of the study were their professors, thus creating an absolute authority figure because now student grades could depend on their participation. By the end of the study, 50% of male students followed through with each level of shock, while 100% of female students did.

            The reason I reference the above studies is because they show, unarguably, the effects of authority on our decisions. Children are taught from a young age to obey authority; that it is the right thing to do. We learn to listen to our teachers, parents, and political leaders. Yet we are never taught to distinguish between a morally just authority and one who is evil. Furthermore, we are not taught to realize the point where a once just authority becomes evil. This is why Adolph Hitler was able to come to power. He gained trust, respect, and the obedience of a people as a powerful figure with well-meaning objectives. At a point, these well-meaning objectives became the complete annihilation of groups of people based on nothing more than demographic factors. People knew not how to distinguish this turning point, and continued blindly following a leader into one of the most infamous series of events throughout the entire course of human history.

 

So again I pose the question, if Hitler told you to shock a complete stranger, would you do it? 71% of us would. [1]

 

            The most relevant study ever conducted on the environmental effects that cause good people to do terrible things was the Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by Dr. Zimbardo, in the basement of the Psychology Department at Stanford University, using students from Stanford and UC Berkley as test subjects.  A group of volunteers was chosen from a group of applicants. Those with the most normal psychological and physical backgrounds were chosen. A literal coin flip decided which participants would be students and which would be guards. What resulted was one of the most controversial experiments of all time. A planned two week study was ended after only six days because of the horrible acts that resulted.

            Prisoners were stripped of all human and individual qualities. They were stripped naked, then given a robe to where, with a stocking over their head to remove individualization from hair. Each was assigned a number and was thereon referred to by their number. Initially, prisoners showed signs of rebellion, but it was quickly squashed by guards who were dressed in military uniform, wearing reflective sunglasses to hide their eyes. On only the second day the leader of the rebellion had an emotional and mental breakdown as a reaction to the extreme stress he underwent. On each successive day, another subject had a breakdown as well.

            The first subject was so strongly affected that he now spends his life fighting for humanitarian treatment of real prisoners.

            The conditions prisoners were subjected to were so horrible it almost identically rivals Abu Ghraib. Physical torture through forced exercise was soon replaced by mental and emotional torture, as well as sexual humiliation. Video clips often replay images of a prisoner doing pushups while the rest repeatedly chant “prisoner #819 did a bad thing”. The emotional scars from this experiment were everlasting and all too real. I’m not going to go into extensive detail about the experiment, sources for research are abundant, but I feel it is essential to note that over the course of mere hours, normal people were transformed into evil dictators.

            The causes for the behavior of these men soon became obvious, and it was apparent that under the right circumstances, everyone has the potential for evil. The first of which is de-individualization. By covering their eyes with reflective sunglasses, guards effectively masked their defining qualities. Much like the KKK wears hoods to cover their faces, the inherent knowledge that you will not be personally known during the course of whatever you are doing creates some form of power. It removes the chance to face the potential ramifications for your actions, which allows for a different train of thought: one that pays no mind to what others will think.

            Next is anonymity, this is very similar to what I’ve previously discussed, but it also refers to the place. When the place in which the actions occur are unknown to others it effectively increases the chances of getting away with doing terrible things.

            Continuing along with the same theme is de-humanization. A common philosophical thought poses the question “would you be able to look someone directly in the eyes and kill them?” To see the human side of someone is to see yourself in them, to feel their pain, experience their fear. By de-humanizing detainees as a result of removing personal qualities and assigning numbers rather than names, it is far easier to commit abuses.

            The next is group camaraderie. The majority of institutions in which we live our lives (families, schools, neighborhoods) are full of likeminded, good people. In this way, the potential for evil is significantly lowered. If society frowns upon mutilation, very few people are willing to mutilate another. But when a group is put together and sick thoughts begin to arise, naturally the group continues to band together in the belief that their thoughts and actions are okay. This further encourages behavior and allows evil to manifest.

            Finally, perhaps the most essential factor that allows evil to occur is the evil of inaction. When one person realizes something is morally wrong and they fail to act on it, they are allowing it to occur, which is a major contributor to evil.

            All of these, coupled with an implied or real belief that a moral authority figure condones the actions (Rumsfeld, Sanchez, and Miller in Abu Ghraib) allows for evil. It creates a breeding ground for otherwise normal people, like Chip Frederick, to commit unspeakable acts against humanity. Combinations of the above conditions allow for anyone to become evil. Serial killers act anonymously and de-humanize their victims. They themselves become their own authority and therefor condone their own actions. Therefore also effectively contributing to the evil of inaction, by not allowing their morals to tell them what they are doing is wrong. Obviously these are extremely sick people, but by preventing these conditions or at least addressing and minimizing them, we could potentially minimize the chances that a moral person would become something terrible.

            Likewise in groups ranging anywhere from a street gang to Al Qaeda, all of these conditions are present, and I encourage you to look further into these groups and see the similarities. By understanding how and why they are this way, we can make great strides in defeating them.

            Dr. Zimbardo created the ten steps for creating evil. It is an overview of how political leaders, governments, cults, and the like, can take large groups of ordinary, well-meaning citizens, and create the most devastating events and terrifying populaces the world has ever known. I will close with these steps and offer the advice to carefully study them and think deeply about the world around you. Realize that evil is festering in more places than we immediately see. Through understanding, we eliminate fear, by eliminating fear, we eliminate inaction, by eliminating inaction, we create harmony.

 

How to Make Everyone Else Evil: A Step By Step Approach

 

1.       Justify any means, if the end is good, the means are appropriate.

2.       A small first step, make the first step small so no one could imagine what is to come

3.       Successively increase small actions

4.       Create a seemingly “just” authority

5.       Allow the compassionate leader to gradually become an authoritarian monster

6.       Make rules vague, and change them often so as to decrease understanding

7.       Re-label actions and actors (it’s not an aggressor hunting, it is a teacher teaching)

8.       Provide a social model of compliance, make people think compliance is good

9.       Allow for verbal dissent, but insist on behavioral change (make them think they are still free)

10.    Make exiting from the situation difficult

 

 

 

“Nearly all man can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character, give him power”

Abraham Lincoln             

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[1] Average of results from studies, 65%, 50%, 100%

Reviews

[Tony]

This is a very interesting piece of work. I can tell you have been to the Oracle [google], and used it for something besides Spybooking dramas and downloading porn.

Congratulations, young man, I am somewhat impressed.
By that I mean, I think your mind is awash with information, and more important, strange sensations, and feelings and ideas appear as if out of the Ether ... and you are doing the same thing I did, which is allow the 'voices' if you will Motion, by writing.
In fact, I have taken on the habit in my blogs of referring to the voices in my head as Heysoos, and usually he manifests seated on a 'directors' chair, or a BeanBagThrone, and a yahoochocolate drink.
Bueno, now we know i"m insane, and HA! you sent a friend request...
[grin]
Okay, onward and upward, here we go loop de doo.. :

There are ways of simplifying your concepts and facilitating your ... inner child's voice .. or Jesus, .. or whoever it is when we make a grocery list and then get out to the car .. that voice that says;
"Hey! you forgot worcestershire, Dick! .. and a nice Melon."

God, entonces ... you see, I made the same errors you are making by trying to eat the whole f*****g thing at once. You might like some things from another MindOnFire [Pharoah] :

Live in the Now. History is bullshit, Future is preoccupation, and reservation.

Take all of your books, bibles, University degrees, all of the lectures, clear back to don't run with scissors, and throw it away. It is designed to keep you occupied chasing division.

Know clearly the difference between Faith, and Know, and why existence of Faith, is absence of Know.

Know you are a Spirit residing in a carbon based lifeform, Parasitical, self replicating, and retaining powers of creation and destruction of Epic proportions. You are not indigenous. If all the Breathers leave
tomorrow, the Mother will be Ecstatic.

Humans, I believe once lived here, probably many times, and like the natives, squatted on the NAmerican cont. for 35000yrs, sin impacto environmental.

The Evil you speak of, is old, and came to this continent, and laid waste to it in a couple of hundred.
That, is some badass parasite, Devil, no?

So, who is who isn't?
I think, if a person Knows themselves first, as in long conversations with the mirror, not therapists, and learns to Know that who we are can be identified by the words, thoughts, and reactions and behavior of people we encounter every day, then other things will become evident. If we take off all the bullshit that occupies our every waking moment and start to make Conscious Effort to Understand, and Impact [throw away plastic in your life by creative measures is a good practice route for buenas habitas, I've found]
Our Universe, and Be the world we Wish and Dream of, It Happens.
It doesn't happen very often, because most people dismiss things I say out of hand. That's because everyone like God to be way back, or way ahead.
I'm too scary, for the cruel stick with which I measure Everything.
Once, I had questions. I searched, and found answers. The answers Disturbed me. Through contemplation of these disturbances, I discovered Awe.
And now, I rule the All.

Let there be one among you, who knows.
The trouble you EXPECT, will come.
Let him who has an ear hear that clearly.

That's enough out of me, Friend. I don't come here too often, but I do, and if you like we have a nice comfy corner bar of a site called ApolloBlessed, that you could come and throw ideas out. You might be an intellectual, but I'm not scared to review and critique, you are actually a challenge, sir. :]s

ApolloBlessed is a private site, if you visit, I am Alaric, and with that name, I'm sure they'll reservedly allow you Full Access.

Tengo un buen dia, Hey?