Isolation and How It Leads to Altered Behavior

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Argumentative Synthesis essay

The idea of isolation is brought up in both situations. The “metaphorical island” of the situations seemed to cut-off those involved from society. Discuss the theme of isolation and how it leads to altered behavior and in extreme cases an abandonment of conventional morality.

A human is dependent on the interactions with others in order to be psychologically and mentally healthy, and any deprivation of such human interaction can lead to negative effects on the psychology and the mentality of the individual. The degradation of the morals of an individual in isolation has been extensively researched by Zimbardo and the resultant phenomenon has been titled the Lucifer effect. The paper as a result puts forward the argument that degraded morals and loss of morality is to be expected when the humans are isolated from the world and other forms of social interactions. The argument thesis that forms the basis of the paper is that isolation can affect the behavior for humans in a negative manner by degrading morality in them and decreasing the ability to make ethical cognitive decisions. The underlying concept which is analyzed pertains to the role that the factor of isolation plays in altering the human behavior towards a more negative and evil side.

Human behavior is highly volatile and is based on external as well as internal factors of influences. Any changes both internal to the individuals’ environment, as well as those external can affect the behavior of the human in a significant manner. This paper analyses the altering of the morality in humans when they are put in isolation from their routine world and society in an institution where they are provided with power over others. The removal of the humans from the bonds of the rules and regulations set by society and the related constructs can depict how the cannibalism and the savage history of man can repeat itself through immoral actions. Support for altered human behavior in the face of isolation from social elements is highlighted in the a research conducted by Moll, de Oliveira-Souza, and Eslinger titled ‘Morals and the Human Brain: A Working Model’ which analyzes the effect that evolutionary pressures as well as social elements have on the moral behavior of a human being from the point of view of the psychological processes in the brain. The research depicted that “moral behavior is a product of evolutionary pressures that shaped the neurobehavioral processes related to the selective perception of social cues, the experience of moral emotions and the adaptation of behavioral responses to the social milieu” (Moll, de Oliveira-Souza, & Eslinger, 2003). The authors provided through the research that the psychological processes for cognition “draw upon specific cortical-sub cortical loops that organize social cognition, emotion and motivation into uniquely human forms of experience and behavior.” (Moll, de Oliveira-Souza, & Eslinger, 2003).

The questions pertaining to good and evil and how good people can do evil things when they are isolated from their routine lives and social constructs are explored by Zimbardo who has come up with the term Lucifer Effect for this phenomenon.

The Lucifer Effect depicts how people who are normally good and civil can be manipulated by circumstances and the environment around them to be malevolent, evil and make unethical decision which cause harm to them as well as others. Zimbardo himself depicts in the book that “The Lucifer Effect is my attempt to understand the processes of transformation at work when good or ordinary people do bad or evil things.” (Zimbardo, 2007). The concept of evil is elaborated by Zimbardo, who mentions that “Evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent other-or using one’s authority and systematic power to encourage or permit others to do so on your behalf..” (Zimbardo, 2007) Zimbardo was successful in proving them when even good people are provided the facility, the opportunity along with the lack threat of consequences; even the good amongst us can become evil for personal gain.

A research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology by Björklund attempted to determine the relation between isolation and moralization. The morality of a human was divided into different aspects of morality that included “moralism (the tendency to evaluate everything in terms of right and wrong), conscience (strength of feelings of right and wrong) and reparation (inclination to repair the damage one has caused” (Björklund, 2001). The study was based on a test involving 54 university students who were tested on their moral decision making psychology. The results of the study provided that human psychology for morality can be highly effected by unconscious cognitive decision making elements that are also responsible for the ability of a human to categorize and stereotype. The study also indicated that there exists a “positive correlations between the defense mechanism isolation of affect and moralism, and between identification with the aggressor and reparation” (Björklund, 2001). Evidence from human psychology that supports the presence of the Lucifer effect is the perspective of moral and immoral behavior in human beings. “If what stops someone from engaging in immoral behavior is the fear of feeling immoral, then having engaged in unambiguously moral behavior beforehand could put that fear to rest, and, paradoxically, license later immoral behavior.” (Jordan & Monin) To support this Nisan has provided a balance for model for morality whereby humans as individuals weigh their good deeds and moral behavior against their evil deeds and immoral behavior. The significant accumulation of moral deeds can prompt an individual to conduct immoral actions as they can be compensated by the massive collection of moral deeds. This depicts how a normal and ethical person can become evil when given the opportunity and removed from society as depicted in the Lucifer effect by Zimbardo.

Isolation from social norms and constructs brings with it a feeling of lack of accountability and responsibility which can influence the individuals to act in ways that can be considered immoral. The Lucifer Effect is not only apparent in the prison situations like those of the Stanford Prison Experiment and that of Abu Ghraib but also in recorded incidents in history like the “Genocide in Rwanda, the mass suicide and murder of Peoples Temple followers in the jungles of Guyana, the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, the torture by military and civilian police around the world, and the sexual abuse of parishioners by catholic priests, and search for lines of continuity between scandalous, fraudulent behavior of executives at Enron and WorldCom corporations.” (Zimbardo, 2007).

Isolation is one of the instigators of degradation of human morality where they are removed from social norms and constructs. The lack of morality and immoral behavior depicted by such individuals is also effected by their previous prejudice against others and stereotypical discrimination. This can be supported by how the inmates of Arabic origin were targeted more so with torture than others in the Abu Ghraib prison and the suicide bombing attacks in Palestine conducted by both young men and women. This is because when humans are kept isolated for long periods elements of dehumanization arise which affect their decision making capability and their psychological cognitive processes.

Isolation from routine and social constructs tends to have a profound effect on the psychological cognition and reasoning of an individual which also changes the perspective of morality for an individual. Isolation can lead to severe aggravation of formerly subsisting mental states, or in the emergence of mental ailments which had not been detected before. Even amongst convicts who do not exhibit evident psychiatric disorders as a result of isolation, such detention almost inexorably inflicts major psychological harm at some stage in the period of isolated internment and often radically harms the prisoner’s ability to successfully get used to the broader prison atmosphere.

The principle of prison detentions is to remove the individual from their routine lives and put them in isolation from the norms and contradicts of the society. This is to enforce reflection in the period of punishment however the aspect of loss of morality from the isolation from society is not usually considered in this regard. The isolated state in prisons and the power shared by prison gangs and those in powerful positions in such establishments alters the moral behavior of the individuals. Altered behavior among prison personnel is evident from attitudes they display with intentions visibly to control the captive inmates by means of spiritual, mental and/or physical breakdown. This is achieved through capricious placement of inmates in isolation; exceptionally limited access to learning prospects, worship, or occupational training; corporal torture, such as enforced cell extractions, strap-downs, hog-tying, thrashing after restraint, and aggravation of hostility amongst captives; mental anguish such as sensory withdrawal, enforced idleness, oral stalking, mail rigging, revelation of classified information, assertions forced under suffering and intimidation against family members; sexual threats and brutality, by means of strip searches, spoken sexual persecution, sexual touching, and rape as a method of control.

Zimbardo is responsible for conducting extensive research on the topic of how isolation changes the morality of humans which is accessed through their changes behavioral characteristics. The Stanford Prison Experiment is one such experiment which supports our argument. The research experiment “was a classic demonstration of the power of social situations to distort personal identities and long cherished values and morality as students internalized situated identities in their roles as prisoners and guards.” (Zimbardo, 1) The research questions included significant concerns like “What happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph?” (Zimbardo, 1). The Stanford Prison Experiment had the students in the role of correctional guards being assigned their respective title of position thus removing them form their identity. Similarly the students playing the prisoners were made to be anonymous and removed form their identity through the assignment of numbers. The interaction between the mock guards and the prisoners in the Stanford Prison experiment did not involve any personal exchange or communication which added to the isolation element both for the guards as well as the prisoners. However the presence of the authority and the power delegated to the hoards, along with the lack of supervision of their actions, and accountability that they were not liable to made the mock prison guards to behave in inhumane and morality unsound manner. The prison guards knew that their actions were not being restricted which led to them being more daring and abusive towards the prisoners, while the social conditioning of the prisoners in the experiment made them accept the treatment that they were receiving until they started to rebel and cause riot. Through the experiment Zimbardo was able to depict that when the participants were separated form the social constructs and their routine lives and put in a drafted evil place like a prison, the guards managed to undergo altered morality which was shown in the way they behaved with the prisoners and abused them based on the power they held in the experiment. The worst possible outcomes were realized in the experiment which clearly highlighted that it is very much possible for humans to become evil if the environment isolates them and provides them with the relevant authority and power.

There exist arguments against the Stanford Prison Experiment and its validity to the argument at hand as critics argue that other elements also affected the results of the experiments. It is claimed that the participants of the experiment were hand picked by Zimbardo after being briefed on enacting a sample prison life in the experiment. This according to critics was revealing too much information and making the mock prisoners and the mock guards in the experiment behave in the manner they stereotypically believed and expected the character to behave. Another argument that is often held against the conclusive validity of the Stanford Prison Experiment is the role that was played by Zimbardo as one of the main instigators who participated in the experiment and also did not supervise or control the experiment as a mediator. However what the critics fail to observe is that the experiment depicted how humans when deprived form social norms and constructs feel free form social and ethical obligations can behave in immoral ways as they do not expect any punishment or accountability of their action. This simply goes to further strengthen our argument that isolation can garner altered behavior in humans that can be considered immoral in nature.

The Stanford Prison Experiment was a social and psychological experiment that was conducted by Zimbardo and therefore it is possible that an experiment it might not hold much weight on the argument that isolation can drive humans towards immoral actions and behavior. In this regard the reports of abuse that were reported from the Abu Ghraib prison can also be highlighted which was a real life incident.. As per CBS news reports “17 soldiers in Iraq, including a brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of mistreating Iraqi prisoners as some American soldiers had been abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad” (Leung, 1). The Abu Ghraib prison was one where the inmates were abused, tortured and kept in inhumane and unhygienic conditions by the prison guards who imposed their position, authority and power over them. In an interview given to CBS, CIA Bureau Chief Bob Baer remarked, “I visited Abu Ghraib a couple of days after it was liberated. It was the most awful sight I’ve ever seen. There were bodies that were eaten by dogs, torture. You know, electrodes coming out of the walls. It was an awful place.” (Leung, 2004, 1) Chip Frederick was one of the accused guards at the prison who was targeted with allegation of abuse of the inmates. His response to the allegations was that n no proper guidelines for operations were provided by the army to the guards and as a result the guards used their own techniques to contain the inmates. This claim of the official shows how the guard assumed that his actions were moral and ethical under the circumstances where he and the prisoners were isolated from the norms of society, social constructs, and government authority as well as form anyone who could question the behavior of the guards to hold them responsible. This depicts that even the real life prisons where isolation from society and lack of guidance and accountability are present, the same results can be seen as were observed from the Stanford Prison Experiment.

The degradation of morality and changes in the cognition constructs for ethical decision making are not just present influenced by isolation in humans but also in animals.

A research was conducted by Craig Haney on the increased risk and probability of prisoner abuse that is present in super max prisons. The study was able to conclude that a high risk of prisoner abuse exists in such prisoners due to the large amount of power and authority that is present in the facility to the correctional officers and how the removal of the individuals form the civilized society can lead to mistreatment of prisoners. The negative effects of the detention in such facilities come about due to environmental and ideological factors. More specifically influence the correctional guards in such facilities “include a problematic set of ideological beliefs, a surrounding environment or ecology that is structured in such a way as to encourage cruelty, and a particularly intense—even desperate—set of interpersonal dynamics created between prisoners and guards” (Haney, 2008). Power play, authority and removal form that rules that govern a society greatly contribute towards the elimination of the moral fiber in the guards who then find it justifiable and acceptable to torture and abuse the prisoners.

Hitler was one of the main villains that the human race has come across in the recent past. The mass murder of the Jews and the torture and inhumane treatment that they were subjected to speaks volumes on the villainous elements and the evil within the historically prominent figure of Hitler. However what is little known is the role that isolation played in this violence and immoral behavior. Hitler’s life has been one of social deprivation form an early stage which manifested into self subjected removal from the social norms and constructs. “Neither as a soldier nor as a politician did Hitler have close attachments. His experience as an enlisted man in the army during the World War I is illustrative. Although he was a dedicated soldier who demonstrated courage in battle, he was a loner; he had no intimates.” (Scheff & Retzinger, 2001, p144) The only relatively close relationships that Hitler shared with others were those with Evan Braun, August Kubizek and Albert Speer. However in none of his relationships with these people, did he create a level of cordiality or equality amongst the different parties involved. The degree of isolation and removal from the norms of the civilized society that Hitler preferred are depicted in the memoirs of Eva Braun. “Eva Braun’s diary shows that she, as Hitler’s mistress, came no closer to him than Kubizek and Speer. For most of their fifteen year relationship, he tended to keep it hidden, confiding her to her rooms during meetings with others.” (Scheff & Retzinger, 2001, p145) A man is a social animal and social bonds are a necessity for the metal and psychological health of a human being. Deprivation from the social needs can contribute towards the cognitive psychological thinking process, altering it such to result in immoral behavior. “Large social systems are often characterized by isolation among groups and engulfment within then. This seems to be the case in the situation that led to the rise of Hitler…Idealization and blind obedience to leaders who are willing to go to war suggests an extreme form of engulfment within nations and isolation among them. This particular combination of the two forms of alienation may be the lethal mixture causing the acceleration of violence in our civilization.” (Scheff & Retzinger, 2001, p170) The life of Hitler, his alienation from the society and the social bonds provides strong evidence towards the argument that the isolation and morality are inter related and that isolation combined with opportunity can result in immoral behavior amongst the humans.

On a much lighter note, the effect of isolation on the morality of human can also be gauged from the changes in their behavior when they think no one is watching. Generally people in the United States tend to throw their garbage in the trash bins or recycling depots, however this is largely due to the fact that they feel responsible for their actions and seek to maintain an image in front of others around of being a moral and ethical individual. However when an individual is walking alone in a street with no one possibly near him or watching her, the person is highly likely to break out from normal ethical behavior and throw the trash wherever it is convenient be it the road or the side walk. This is a very limited form of moral degradation which we come across often in the real world.

Jessica Pierce conducted research on the empathy levels and determination in animals and compared them with humans. The research depicted that “capacity to understand what another feels allows us to be compassionate, to avoid causing pain or suffering, and to act with an intention to improve the welfare of those around us.” (Pierce, 2007) While this was not the objective of the research, Pierce also demonstrated through that isolation can negatively affect morality in animals and the result can be extrapolated into human behavior as well. “Isolation is unnatural and causes emotional suffering. On the other hand, housing social animals together makes emotional linkage stronger, makes empathy among the animals stronger, and thus makes separation more painful and increases the seriousness of witnessing effects. In Langford’s study, mice showed an increased empathic to response to mice with whom they had shared a cage than to unfamiliar mice. This seems to pose an intractable dilemma about humane treatment in a research or industrial setting.” (Pierce, 2007) This supports our argument thesis that isolation can affect the behavior for humans in a negative manner by degrading morality in them and decreasing the ability to make ethical cognitive decisions

The effect that isolation and removal of humans from the civilized society has on the psychology of moral behavior in humans is supported by the accounts of abuse at the Guantanamo Bay as well. The Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility has also reported case of abuse much like those in Abu Ghraib and the Stanford Prison experiment. The immoral abuse that the prisoners have faced at the hands of the guards pertains to being put in darkened cells for long periods as a way of torture, anti sleep torture where the prisoners are kept awake by water and light flashes, deprivation form basic rights of being able to eat, pray, or undergo reconstructive therapy as well as being targeted and degraded for their religion. “‘On several occasions witnesses saw detainees in interrogation rooms chained hand and foot in fetal position to floor with no chair/food/water; most urinated or defecated on selves and were left there 18, 24 hours or more, according to one FBI account made public.” (‘FBI: Workers saw prisoner abuse at Guantanamo’, 2007) The Lucifer Effect as proven by Zimbardo through the Stanford Prison Experiment is again relevant in the case of Guatanamo incidents as it clearly depicts that where abuse is tolerated in prisoners, the deprivation of basic human rights is also not far behind. The aggregation and the incremental extrapolation of the effects results in major immoral actions that are carried out by the party in power, thus supporting the argument that isolation can effect the moral behavior of individuals by altering their moral psychology.

The prisons are a place of reproach, self analysis and reconstruction, however in the face of no established psychological therapy and developmental programs the high security prisons like the supermax in America, Abu Ghraib, and Guatanamo Bay are breeding place of human isolation without supervision. This has resulted inn increased incidents of prisoner abuse and immoral treatment of the prisoners at the hands of the guards. Conclusively it can be depicted that keeping the humans in isolation for long periods can have a negative effect on their morality which can decrease in presence of authority and anonymity provided from the accountability of their actions leading to the perception of lack of responsibility. The removal of humans from social bonds, norms and constructs can alter their psychological decision making capacity which can often make them justify their immoral actions to themselves which is why good people can do bad things when given the chance and the opportunity. Where proper supervision and controls are not present humans in isolated environments can become dehumanized resulting in the Lucifer Effect as depicted by Zimbardo through his experiments.

References

“FBI: Workers saw prisoner abuse at Guantanamo”, CNN.com, 2007, Web.
Björklund, Fredrik. “Defense Mechanisms and Morality: A Link between Isolation and Moralization”, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 41, Issue 1, pp. 55-62
Crosby, Faye. “A model of egoistical relative deprivation”, Psychological Review, Vol. 83(2), pp. 85-113, 1976.
Haney, Craiig. “A Culture of Harm: Taming the Dynamics of Cruelty in Supermax Prisons”, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 35, No. 8, pp. 956-984, 2008.
Leung, Rebecca. “Abuse of Iraqi POWs By GIs Probed: 60 Minutes II Has Exclusive Report On Alleged Mistreatment”. 60 Minutes II. 2004. CBS Interactive Inc.
Moll, Jorge, de Oliveira-Souza, Ricardo, Eslinger, Paul J. “Morals and the Human Brain: A Working Model”, NeuroReport, Vol. 14, Issue 3, pp. 299-305, 2003. Web.
Monin, Benoît, Jordan, Alexander H. “The Dynamic Moral Self:A Social Psychological Perspective”, Stanford University, 2009.
Pierce, Jessica, “Mice in the Sink: On the Expression of Empathy in Animals”, ISEEIAE, 2007.
Scheff, Thomas J., Retzinger, Suzanne M. Emotions and Violence: Shame and Rage in Destructive Conflicts, iUniverse, 2001
Zimbardo, Philip. “Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment”. prisonexp.org. 2009. Stanford University.
Zimbardo, Philip. “The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil”, Rider: 2007

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Isolation and How It Leads to Altered Behavior

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