The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study at Stanford University’s Department of Psychology in 1971 by social psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo. The study vividly illustrated how power corrupts relative to social and psychological contexts.

I analyze the corrupt nature of power itself in chapter 16 of my book, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE, and contend that the only antidote is, ironically, humility. So, the question is inherently posed, why are some susceptible to power’s enticing venom more than others, which I attempt to explain in the excerpt below:

“The Weak Versus The Strong

Why are some corrupted by power, and others are not? Why are some powerful winners in history insulated from corruption, only to cave in to it later? Consider a car tire’s amazing ability to remain intact with several pounds of air pressure, even with the bumps and scrapes from the road. If you continue to pump air into any tire, however, it will eventually blow out. Regardless of the strength of the advanced rubber-and-fiber blend, every tire has its breaking point. Now, if you add wear and tear to a tire, its walls get thinner, and the tolerance for air pressure diminishes accordingly.

Power is no different from a tire’s air pressure. Those with a strong constitution—fortified by self-awareness, empathy, humility, and a yearning for objectivity and serving others—can withstand vast amounts of extra pressure. However, those who constantly second-guess themselves are naïve to their strengths and limitations. Or even worse, people who voluntarily put blinders on to avoid facing their vulnerabilities would be the first to pop under the slightest pressure that accompanies power. Their walls are thin, so they lash out to conceal their weakness.

Never let a prideful parking meter maid run the country! The weak are Chihuahuas barking at the doorbell—like the criminals, bullies, and scammers—at the ready to gain and abuse any power they could get their insecure paws on. The strong, on the other hand, embrace humility, reflect on how they can improve, remember what they are grateful for, and consider others with compassion for their plights. Strong people crave power for altruistic reasons—at least to some degree—because they live in the real world, where they know the innocent must be protected!

Of course, “strong” versus “weak” also falls into a continuum. But the fewer unmanaged insecurities a person has to drag, the less they feel a need to overcompensate. They simply have less to prove, so they can focus on what matters most—their virtuous goals that should be accomplished for everyone’s sake.”

~Excerpt from THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE: Chapter 16, Power—The Natural Corruptor (Unless You Insert Humility)

Dr. Zimbardo appreciated my insight into his study, as well as my book in its entirety. He described it as a “brilliant analysis of the various facets of humanity.” He wrote in the foreword, “The Opposite Is True is a work of art.”

Captioned dynamics of power and many more patterns of human motivation are analyzed and broken down in chapter 16 of THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. They are also vividly observable in the movie representation of Dr. Zimbardo’s 1971 study in the 2015 film by the same name, The Stanford Prison Experiment. It’s definitely worth a watch!

(CLICK the photos below to link the trailer to the movie.)