Read the following excerpt from your reserve reading and discuss the two questions
below:
"With regard to prisons, we can state that the mere act of assigning labels to people and
putting them into a situation where those labels acquire validity and meaning is sufficient
to elicit pathological behavior... The prison situation, as presently arranged, is
guaranteed to generate severe enough pathological reactions in both guards and
prisoners as to debase their humanity, lower their feelings of self-worth and make it
difficult for them to be part of a society outside of their prison" (Zimbardo 1972, p. 239).
1. Of the three sociological perspectives we have discussed in the
text (functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interaction), which one(s) does
the author appear to be using in his analysis of the prison system? Explain.
2. How might we use Zimbardo's experiment with prisoners and guards to explain
the characteristics of police officers and suspected offenders today? How do
labels and roles shape their behaviors and what could be done to improve the
relationships between law enforcement and community members?