Philip Zimbardo

American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo is an American psychologist who is best known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment. He has authored numerous psychology textbooks and other notable works, and is the initiator and president of the Heroic Imagination Project.

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About the Philip Zimbardo

Philip George Zimbardois an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later criticized severely for both ethical and scientific reasons. He has authored various introductory psychology textbooks for college students, and other notable works, including The Lucifer Effect, The Time Paradox, and The Time Cure. He is also the initiator and president of the Heroic Imagination Project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Philip Zimbardo is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He is known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later criticized for ethical and scientific reasons.

The Heroic Imagination Project is an organization founded and led by Philip Zimbardo. It focuses on encouraging people to engage in heroic and altruistic behavior in everyday life.

In addition to psychology textbooks, Philip Zimbardo has authored other notable works, including The Lucifer Effect, The Time Paradox, and The Time Cure.

Philip Zimbardo was born on March 23, 1933 in New York City.

The Stanford prison experiment, conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971, was a psychological study that examined the effects of situational power and the role of authority on human behavior. The experiment was later criticized for ethical and scientific concerns.

Philip Zimbardo’s research, particularly his work on the Stanford prison experiment, has had a significant impact on the field of psychology, leading to discussions about the ethical conduct of research and the power of situational factors in shaping human behavior.

Philip Zimbardo is currently a professor emeritus at Stanford University, where he has taught for many years.

22 Quotes by Philip Zimbardo

  1. 1.

    Evil is knowing better, but willingly doing worse.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  2. 2.

    Prejudice and discrimination have always been a big part of my life. When I was 6, I got beat up and called dirty Jew boy because they thought I looked Jewish.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  3. 3.

    The level of shyness has gone up dramatically in the last decade. I think shyness is an index of social pathology rather than a pathology of the individual.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  4. 4.

    One can’t live mindfully without being enmeshed in psychological processes that are around us.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  5. 5.

    The Stanford prison experiment came out of class exercises in which I encouraged students to understand the dynamics of prison life.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  6. 6.

    Human behavior is incredibly pliable, plastic.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  7. 7.

    I have been primarily interested in how and why ordinary people do unusual things, things that seem alien to their natures. Why do good people sometimes act evil? Why do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things?

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  8. 8.

    I started studying shyness in adults in 1972. Shyness operates at so many different levels. Out of that research came the Stanford shyness clinic in 1977.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  9. 9.

    My early childhood prepared me to be a social psychologist. I grew up in a South Bronx ghetto in a very poor family. From Sicilian origin, I was the first person in my family to complete high school, let alone go to college.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  10. 10.

    I was discriminated against because I was Jewish, Italian, black and Puerto Rican. But maybe the worst prejudice I experienced was against the poor. I grew up on welfare and often had to move in the middle of the night because we couldn’t pay the rent.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  11. 11.

    Careers in virtually all academic disciplines are fostered by being a superstar who knows more about one subject than anyone else in the world.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  12. 12.

    There are no limits to what I would do to make my classes exciting, interesting, unpredictable.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  13. 13.

    Situational variables can exert powerful influences over human behavior, more so that we recognize or acknowledge.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  14. 14.

    After doing psychology for half a century, my passion for all of it is greater than ever.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  15. 15.

    Time perspective is one of the most powerful influences on all of human behavior. We’re trying to show how people become biased to being exclusively past-, present- or future-oriented.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  16. 16.

    Heroes are those who can somehow resist the power of the situation and act out of noble motives, or behave in ways that do not demean others when they easily can.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  17. 17.

    Academic success depends on research and publications.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  18. 18.

    At North Hollywood High School, I was shunned by everyone. I would sit down in the cafeteria, and students would get up from the table and walk away. They thought I was from the Mafia.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  19. 19.

    What happens when good people are put into an evil place? Do they triumph or does the situation dominate their past history and morality?

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  20. 20.

    The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  21. 21.

    Being hurt personally triggered a curiosity about how such beliefs are formed.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

  22. 22.

    What troubles me is the Internet and the electronic technology revolution. Shyness is fueled in part by so many people spending huge amounts of time alone, isolated on e-mail, in chat rooms, which reduces their face-to-face contact with other people.

    Philip Zimbardo

    American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment