In this episode of Mental Illness in Pop Culture, we examine The Stanford Prison Experiment, in film and real life. A coin toss determined whether volunteers would be “guards” or “prisoners” in this controversial research project. We welcome guest-podcaster and doctoral student Andre Joaquim as we explore the relationship of power to imprisonment, gender, groupthink, displacement, conformity, and ethics. We also reflect on professional helper and educator Dr. Phillip Zimbardo’s decision-making while the experiment took place as well as his atonement afterward. We find the film both hard to believe and true to life while remaining uncertain about its implications for human nature.

In this podcast, we focus on pop culture portrayals of mental health issues and professional helping, believing that public perception is both reflected and influenced by popular media.