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213. What Is Evil?

No Stupid Questions

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Evils of Environment | Prison Experiment

The environment can profoundly influence behavior, as demonstrated in the prison experiment where participants began showing extreme distress and sadism in just a few days. The study's premature cessation underscores the critical role situational factors play in fostering harmful actions. Rather than attributing negative behaviors solely to individual character flaws, it is essential to examine the surrounding circumstances—the 'bad barrels'—that contribute to such outcomes. Influential figures like Christina Maslach emphasize understanding situational power as a key to addressing systemic issues in environments that promote harmful behavior, evidenced in historical contexts like Abu Ghraib and Nazi Germany.

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