Why Ordinary People Torture Enemy Prisoners
- 26 November 2004
- journal article
- policy forum
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 306 (5701) , 1482-1483
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1103788
Abstract
Accounts of prisoner abuse and other institutional violence often blame a few isolated individuals, but social psychology emphasizes social contexts, which can make almost anyone oppress, conform, and obey in abetting destructive social behavior. In this Policy Forum, meta-analyses demonstrate the quantitative reliability and import of social contexts. Moreover, recent data show that initial reactions to low-status, oppositional outgroups may involve disgust and contempt, consistent with abuse. Together, social pressures and social prejudices help explain the recent abuse scandals.Keywords
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