Haslam S Alexander, Reicher Stephen
University of Exeter.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2007 May;33(5):615-22. doi: 10.1177/0146167206298570. Epub 2007 Apr 17.
Carnahan and McFarland critique the situationist account of the Stanford prison experiment by arguing that understanding extreme action requires consideration of individual characteristics and the interaction between person and situation. Haslam and Reicher develop this argument in two ways. First, they reappraise historical and psychological evidence that supports the broader "banality of evil" thesis-the idea that ordinary people commit atrocities without awareness, care, or choice. Counter to this thesis, they show that perpetrators act thoughtfully, creatively, and with conviction. Second, drawing from this evidence and the BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] Prison Study, they make the case for an interactionist approach to tyranny that explains how people are (a) initially drawn to extreme and oppressive groups, (b) transformed by membership in those groups, and (c) able to gain influence over others and hence normalize oppression. These dynamics can make evil appear banal but are far from banal themselves.
卡纳汉和麦克法兰对斯坦福监狱实验的情境主义解释提出了批评，他们认为，理解极端行为需要考虑个体特征以及人与情境之间的相互作用。哈斯拉姆和赖克以两种方式发展了这一论点。首先，他们重新评估了支持更广泛的“平庸之恶”论点的历史和心理学证据——即普通人在没有意识、关心或选择的情况下犯下暴行的观点。与这一论点相反，他们表明作恶者是经过深思熟虑、创造性地且满怀信念地行事的。其次，基于这些证据以及英国广播公司的监狱研究，他们提出了一种关于暴政的互动主义方法，该方法解释了人们是如何（a）最初被极端和压迫性团体所吸引，（b）因加入这些团体而发生转变，以及（c）能够对他人施加影响从而使压迫常态化的。这些动态过程可能会让邪恶显得平庸，但它们本身绝非平庸。
