Abuse Less Shocking in Light of History

I found this article from USA Today interesting. The basic position is that people shouldn't really be shocked at what has transpired in the Iraqi prisons. Not that they can't be outraged or angered by the events - torture is never justified - but don't be shocked at what happened. In stressful situations people will do strange and shocking things - things they never thought they would ever do, under any situation.

What I found most fascinating about the article was its recounting of a psychology experiment conducted in 1971 where 24 college students from around the San Francisco Bay Area were recruited to pose as guards or inmates in a mock prison for two weeks. They were given very few orders and supervised very loosely.

The result? The guards became more and more abusive, the inmates more and more cowed. At night, when the doctor conducting the experiment was gone, guards put bags over inmates' heads, stripped them of clothing and told them to simulate sex acts. Finally, after several inmates suffered emotional breakdowns, a the doctor stopped the experiment after six days. He, himself, shaken and disturbed at what was happening.

Goes to show that it may not be the physical side of war that is so horrible, but rather the psychological effects of war that destroy men and women.