Counsellor Harks Back To Notorious Social Experiment To Warn Of Power Abuse At Kordin
Following the suicide of prisoner Kim Borg, counsellor Matthew Bartolo has reminded people about a notorious social psychological experiment into the power of social roles at.
In a Facebook post, Bartolo recounted the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, when psychologist Philip Zimbardo simulated a prison environment, dividing his students into prisoners and guards to observe their behaviour.
Both ‘guards’ and ‘prisoners’ fell into their social roles extremely quickly, with the ‘guards’ abusing the ‘prisoners’ and the ‘prisoners’ adopting a stance of subordination to the ‘guards’.
Although the study was meant to last two weeks, it was cancelled after six days following pressure by psychologist Christina Maslach.
“What was meant to be an experiment had to be stopped abruptly due to the guards abusing their power,” Bartolo noted. “This is because in that simulated prison abuse of power became the norm and the guards took it to extremes. Unfortunately, this happens because humans tend to over abuse power if they are put in a position of power and are not questioned or audited.”
He then went on to draw parallels with the situation at Kordin.
“If mentally stable and healthy individuals who are just chosen to participate in an experiment can get to be so violent and evil, how about people who choose to be in a position of power, when put with people who have truly wronged society?” he asked.
“Prof. Zimbardo chose to end the experiment within six days; how come in Malta we are hearing of all these atrocities and no one put an END to it?”
“Who is going to be the Christina Maslach at CCF? Who from my colleagues there (psychologists) will come up to protect the wellbeing of their clients (inmates)?”
Police recently filed charges of involuntary homicide against two prison wardens, who they suspect were criminally responsible for the suicide of 29-year-old prisoner Kim Borg Nicholas last June.
Meanwhile, the young woman’s father Martin Borg Nicholas Virtu has pledged to file a constitutional case against the state and prison director Alex Dalli, warning his daughter was subjected to torture, bullying and inhumane treatment.
What should the future hold for Kordin?
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