Incarceration Games By Stephen Scott-Bottoms Shines Light On The Stanford Prison Experiment And Other Notorious, Psychological Role-Playing Games

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, Incarceration Games by Stephen Scott-Bottoms explores the development, use and abuse of interactive role-playing as a tool for psychological experimentation.

Incarceration Games

Stephen Scott-Bottoms’ Incarceration Games unveils a dark chapter in the history of American social psychology. By casting unsuspecting participants as unwitting actors in manipulative role-playing experiments, researchers blurred the lines between reality and fiction with disturbing consequences. The book delves deep into the infamous Stanley Milgram and Stanford Prison experiments, offering fresh perspectives through original interviews and extensive archival research.

Scott-Bottoms, a theater historian, brings a unique lens to these staged events, tracing the evolution of role-play from its therapeutic origins in the 1930s to its contemporary manifestations. From the early use of role-playing in prison rehabilitation to its controversial employment in reality television and military interrogation, the author demonstrates how these methods have been both exploited and misused.

A thought-provoking and accessible exploration, Incarceration Games challenges readers to consider the profound cultural impact of psychological manipulation and the enduring legacy of these ethically questionable experiments.

Part One: The Stage Production Era delves into the origins of improvised role-play, tracing its evolution from therapeutic tool to experimental apparatus. From the pioneering work of J.L. Moreno to the manipulative studies of Asch, Sherif, and Festinger, the chapter explores how social psychologists increasingly blurred the lines between research and reality. The culmination of this trend is a re-examination of Stanley Milgram’s infamous obedience experiments, challenging the notion of complete participant immersion.

Part Two: Approaching Stanford offers an in-depth analysis of the Stanford Prison Experiment, deconstructing the mythos that has surrounded it. By examining the experiment from multiple perspectives—those of the psychologists, prisoners, and guards—the author reveals the complex interplay of power, obedience, and role-playing. Philip Zimbardo’s motivations are scrutinized, and the limitations of his interpretation are exposed.

Part Three: Beyond the Lab explores the enduring legacy of these controversial experiments. As ethical guidelines tightened, the era of such studies came to an end, but their impact persisted.

The chapter examines how the Stanford Prison Experiment, in particular, has been sensationalized and misrepresented, distorting public perception of prisons. It also investigates the evolution of role-playing in various contexts, from prison rehabilitation programs to reality television and military interrogations, highlighting the ongoing blurring of fact and fiction.

Stephen Scott-Bottoms

Stephen Scott-Bottoms is a writer, theatre-maker and storyteller, who explores complex topics in an accessible and engaging way. He is Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the University of Manchester, UK, and taught previously at the Universities of Leeds and Glasgow. His other books include Playing Underground: A Critical History of the 1960s Off-Off-Broadway Movement (2004) and Sex, Drag, and Male Roles: Investigating Gender as Performance (2010).

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