'Zimbardo's anatomy of human psychology and contemporary culture is as scholary as it is scary' Brian Keenan, author of An Evil Cradling
How can good people become evil? How can honest people be induced to behave illegally, and moral people seduced to act immorally? The anwers to such questions lie at the heart of this fascinating exploration of the darker side of human nature by the award-winning psychologist Philip Zimbardo.
Examining the casues of evil, Zimbardo provides the first in-depth analysis of his classic Stanford Prison Experiment. He describes how a group of ordinary students was placed in a mock prison and how, in less than a week, the study had to be terminated when the 'guards' became increasingly sadistic and the 'prisoners' pathological. He considers the findings of the experiment and its relevance to society today (not least at the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons), raising fundamental questions about the nature of good and evil - and how and why most of us could be initiated into the ranks of evil doers.
'Detailed and absorbing...masterly and honest' Mary Warnock, Times Higher Education Supplement
'Formidable' Observer
'The Lucifer Effect will change forever the way you think about why we behave the way we do...This is a disturbing book, but one that has never been more necessary' Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink
'This important book is very readable' Spectator
