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The Psychology of Evil - Understanding and Challenging Human Behavior

TED via YouTube

Overview

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Explore the psychology behind human behavior and the potential for both evil and heroism in this thought-provoking TED talk by Philip Zimbardo. Delve into insights from the Abu Ghraib trials, including unseen photos, and examine how ordinary individuals can transform into perpetrators of evil. Discover the flip side of this phenomenon as Zimbardo discusses the ease of becoming a hero and challenges viewers to rise to the occasion. Learn about influential experiments like the Stanford Prison Study and Stanley Milgram's obedience research, which shed light on the power of situational forces. Examine concepts such as the banality of evil, the impact of anonymity, and the importance of understanding the mindset of wrongdoers. Conclude with an inspiring exploration of the "heroic imagination" and how small acts of everyday heroism can make a significant difference in the world.

Syllabus

Intro
What is evil
The pictures
Who is responsible
My book The Loser
Stanley Milgram
The data
External parallels
Stanford Prison Study
Police Arrest
Prison Experiment
The power of anonymity
Understanding the evil doer
A paradigm shift
Banality of heroism
Heroic imagination
Wesley Autrey

Taught by

TED

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