Philip G. Zimbardo, the renowned psychologist known for the controversial 1971 “Stanford Prison Experiment,” has died at age 91. Stanford University announced that Zimbardo passed away on October 14 at his home in San Francisco, though no cause of death was provided.
Zimbardo’s infamous study aimed to explore the psychological effects of imprisonment by recruiting college-aged males to play guards and prisoners in a mock prison. The experiment, initially planned for two weeks, was halted after just six days when the participants began exhibiting extreme emotional distress and abusive behavior. The study has since sparked widespread discussion on the ethics of psychological research.