<p>I too have been studying Zimbardo's work and this area of research is still in its infancy at the moment, so, although those here who are more knowledgeable on neuroscience may be able to correct me if I am wrong, I believe from the lack of information I have seen that it is too early for any conclusive neurological basis to the formation of evil.</p>

<p>Whilst <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/philip_zimbardo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dr. Philip Zimbardo</a>'s work, on the subject is in his book you mentioned — <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1846041031" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Lucifer Effect</a> — (Zimbardo, 2007) [See also: <a href="http://www.lucifereffect.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">lucifereffect.com] </a>there is also has an <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil/transcript" rel="nofollow noreferrer">accompanying video at TED Talks</a> (Zimbardo, 2008).  In this video he highlights the basis of his book.  There are also other similar works by other people.</p>

<p>The whole area of research on evil and heroism started, although not originally to study origins of evil, around 1950 with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Asch" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Solomon Asch</a> and his <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Conformity</a> experiment known as the <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Asch Experiment</a>, which led to a further experiment by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Milgram" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Stanley Milgram</a> known as the <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Milgram Experiment</a>.</p>

<p>Asch’s experiment was essentially benign in nature but Stanley Milgram’s experiment had a macabre nature to it.  This made Milgram’s experiment particularly famous after he published his results as it made newspaper headlines and caused many people to sit up and really examine human nature, and the social requirement to conform to peers and authority figures.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>[Stanley Milgram] asked the question, "Could the Holocaust happen here, now?" People say, "No, that's Nazi Germany, Hitler, you know, that's 1939." He said, "Yeah, but suppose Hitler asked you, 'Would you electrocute a stranger?' 'No way, I'm a good person.'" He said, "Why don't we put you in a situation and give you a chance to see what you would do?" (Zimbardo, 2008)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1063669/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Wave (2008)</a> was based on teacher Ron Jones's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(experiment)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">"Third Wave" experiment</a>, which took place at a Californian school in 1967 to explain how the German population could accept the actions of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Because his students did not understand how something like national socialism could even happen, he founded a totalitarian, strictly-organized "movement" with harsh punishments that was led by him autocratically. The intricate sense of community led to a wave of enthusiasm not only from his own students, but also from students from other classes who joined the program later. Jones later admitted to having enjoyed having his students as followers. To eliminate the upcoming momentum, Jones aborted the project on the fifth day and showed the students the parallels towards the Nazi youth movements.</p>

<p>What is interesting with the Milgram Experiment is that <strong>it doesn't seem that the root of evil is <em>always</em> related to the parts of the brain related to empathy</strong>.  You cannot just put those who "failed" the test into the category of those who lack empathy because when you watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4pWJ0_XNo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1962 documentary about the experiment on YouTube</a> (PSU, 1962) which showed the experiment in action, an example is at 22 minutes into the documentary, where the "teacher" was showing signs of distress and wanted to check that the "learner" was okay before continuing.  When the "teacher" was told he <strong>must</strong> continue he reluctantly did so, but he grew more agitated.</p>

<p>Stanley Milgram’s experiment seemed to inspire Dr. Philip Zimbardo with his studies into evil and heroism.  Philip Zimbardo conducted the notorious <a href="http://www.prisonexp.org/the-story" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Stanford Prison Experiment</a> in 1971 and was an expert witness at Abu Grahib</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I became an expert witness for one of the guards, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Frederick" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sergeant Chip Frederick</a>, and in that position, I had access to the dozen investigative reports. I had access to him. I could study him, have him come to my home, get to know him, do psychological analysis to see, was he a good apple or bad apple.</p>
  
  <p>...</p>
  
  <p>Milgram's study is all about individual authority to control people. Most of the time, we are in institutions, so the Stanford Prison Study is a study of the power of institutions to influence individual behavior. Interestingly, Stanley Milgram and I were in the same high school class in James Monroe in the Bronx, 1954. (Zimbardo, 2008)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>With his work, Dr. Philip Zimbardo came to the following psychological definition of evil:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Evil is the exercise of power. And that's the key: it's about power. To intentionally harm people psychologically, to hurt people physically, to destroy people mortally, or ideas, and to commit crimes against humanity.</p>
  
  <p>...</p>
  
  <p>The power is in the system. The system creates the situation that corrupts the individuals, and the system is the legal, political, economic, cultural background. And this is where the power is of the bad [apple] barrel makers. (Zimbardo, 2008)</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>References</h2>

<p>PSU, 1962. <em>Obedience - Films in the Behavioral Sciences</em> [Video] University Park, PA:Pennsylvania State University<br><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/obedience/oclc/498479796" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.worldcat.org/title/obedience/oclc/498479796</a><br>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4pWJ0_XNo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4pWJ0_XNo</a><br>
Online Stream at: <a href="https://cas.byu.edu/cas" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cas.byu.edu/cas</a></p>

<p>Zimbardo, P. G., 2007. <em>The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil</em> New York:The Random House Publishing Group</p>

<p>Zimbardo, P. G., 2008. <em>The Psychology of Evil</em>. [Online]<br> 
Available at: <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T22:42:25.700Z
Thank you @Chris, i find your post excellent even if there's no neurological conclusions to the formation of evil.
Fil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T22:16:00.680Z
2017-07-02T22:21:51.850Z
2017-07-02T22:21:51.850Z
Chris Rogers
<p>I'm reading Zimbardo's <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1846041031" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>The lucifer effect: understanding how good people turn to evil</em></a> in which he describes the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment#Goals_and_methods" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Stanford prison experiment</a>
that investigated the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison guards. The experiment's results favor situational attribution of behavior over dispositional attribution. It seemed that the situation, rather than their individual personalities, caused the participants' evil behavior.</p>

<p>Zimbardo concluded that a set of psychological processes - among them <em>deindividuation</em> and <em>obedience to authority</em> - can induce good people to do evil. </p>

<p>Specifiying Zimbardo's definition of evil:  - <em>"Evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent others - or using one's authority and systemic power to encourage or permit others to do so on your behalf"</em> -  my question is: </p>

<p><strong>Does a cerebral circuit of <em>evil induced by situational circumstances</em> exist ?</strong> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-01T21:55:32.937Z
There are many different ways to be evil and therefore many different brain processes that could be involved.  There is no "evil" circuit.
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-02T11:02:30.860Z
It's logic that if i do evil  - because of a situational circumstance - there's a cerebral mechanism behind, isn't it? If you don't know something it doesn't mean that something does not exist.
Fil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-03T02:07:38.100Z
Certainly your brain is involved when you do evil.  However, this is not evidence of an "evil circuit."
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-03T08:04:49.477Z
@mrt I know, indeed i was wondering if an evil circuit existed
Fil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-04T04:27:19.707Z
It seems very, very unlikely given what we know about the brain.  This idea assumes a sort of essentialism that almost never bears out in neuroscience.  For example, see [this neuroscience satire in BMJ](http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6266.short) that uses the same logic as the "evil circuit" idea.
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-04T11:11:28.453Z
@mrt I don't think your example is suitable... There are some experiments (as Zimbardo's one)  showing how there's a probability that ordinary and normal people - in particular circumstances - turn  into evil people and i think is reasonable to investigate if a cerebral circuit exist behind bad/evil behavior...
Fil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-04T14:46:10.697Z
Just to be clear, are you assuming that there might be some sort of evil-doing [module](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-phrenology/)?
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-04T16:07:26.237Z
Does a cerebral circuit of evil induced by situational circumstances exist ? this is the question. I've read the article you posted... Do you think that my question will lead to an abuse of the concept of ''module''? To be clear: i was not assuming, i was asking.
Fil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-05T01:28:56.640Z
I think an "evil-doing circuit" is an example of a module.  It's highly unlikely that there's a circuit that's devoted to coordinating evil action.  You can do two evil acts that don't overlap at all in their associated brain activity.  And even if you did find common activity in certain brain areas across evil acts, it would be fallacious to label those areas as an "evil-doing circuit."
mrt
<cognitive-psychology><social-psychology><cognitive-neuroscience><personality>
Any research on brain's processes involved in evil actions?
Fil
# Any research on brain's processes involved in evil actions?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-01)

I'm reading Zimbardo's [*The lucifer effect: understanding how good people turn to evil*](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1846041031) in which he describes the famous [Stanford prison experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment#Goals_and_methods)
that investigated the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison guards. The experiment's results favor situational attribution of behavior over dispositional attribution. It seemed that the situation, rather than their individual personalities, caused the participants' evil behavior.

Zimbardo concluded that a set of psychological processes - among them *deindividuation* and *obedience to authority* - can induce good people to do evil.

Specifiying Zimbardo's definition of evil: - *"Evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent others - or using one's authority and systemic power to encourage or permit others to do so on your behalf"* - my question is:

**Does a cerebral circuit of *evil induced by situational circumstances* exist ?**

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, social-psychology, cognitive-neuroscience, personality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are many different ways to be evil and therefore many different brain processes that could be involved.  There is no "evil" circuit.  
> **username_0**: It's logic that if i do evil  - because of a situational circumstance - there's a cerebral mechanism behind, isn't it? If you don't know something it doesn't mean that something does not exist.  
> **username_1**: Certainly your brain is involved when you do evil.  However, this is not evidence of an "evil circuit."  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I know, indeed i was wondering if an evil circuit existed  
> **username_1**: It seems very, very unlikely given what we know about the brain.  This idea assumes a sort of essentialism that almost never bears out in neuroscience.  For example, see [this neuroscience satire in BMJ](http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6266.short) that uses the same logic as the "evil circuit" idea.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I don't think your example is suitable... There are some experiments (as Zimbardo's one)  showing how there's a probability that ordinary and normal people - in particular circumstances - turn  into evil people and i think is reasonable to investigate if a cerebral circuit exist behind bad/evil behavior...  
> **username_1**: Just to be clear, are you assuming that there might be some sort of evil-doing [module](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-phrenology/)?  
> **username_0**: Does a cerebral circuit of evil induced by situational circumstances exist ? this is the question. I've read the article you posted... Do you think that my question will lead to an abuse of the concept of ''module''? To be clear: i was not assuming, i was asking.  
> **username_1**: I think an "evil-doing circuit" is an example of a module.  It's highly unlikely that there's a circuit that's devoted to coordinating evil action.  You can do two evil acts that don't overlap at all in their associated brain activity.  And even if you did find common activity in certain brain areas across evil acts, it would be fallacious to label those areas as an "evil-doing circuit."  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-07-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

I too have been studying Zimbardo's work and this area of research is still in its infancy at the moment, so, although those here who are more knowledgeable on neuroscience may be able to correct me if I am wrong, I believe from the lack of information I have seen that it is too early for any conclusive neurological basis to the formation of evil.

Whilst [Dr. Philip Zimbardo](https://www.ted.com/speakers/philip_zimbardo)'s work, on the subject is in his book you mentioned — [The Lucifer Effect](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1846041031) — (Zimbardo, 2007) [See also: [lucifereffect.com]](http://www.lucifereffect.com) there is also has an [accompanying video at TED Talks](https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil/transcript) (Zimbardo, 2008). In this video he highlights the basis of his book. There are also other similar works by other people.

The whole area of research on evil and heroism started, although not originally to study origins of evil, around 1950 with [Solomon Asch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Asch) and his [Conformity](https://www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html) experiment known as the [Asch Experiment](https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html), which led to a further experiment by [Stanley Milgram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Milgram) known as the [Milgram Experiment](https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html).

Asch’s experiment was essentially benign in nature but Stanley Milgram’s experiment had a macabre nature to it. This made Milgram’s experiment particularly famous after he published his results as it made newspaper headlines and caused many people to sit up and really examine human nature, and the social requirement to conform to peers and authority figures.

> [Stanley Milgram] asked the question, "Could the Holocaust happen here, now?" People say, "No, that's Nazi Germany, Hitler, you know, that's 1939." He said, "Yeah, but suppose Hitler asked you, 'Would you electrocute a stranger?' 'No way, I'm a good person.'" He said, "Why don't we put you in a situation and give you a chance to see what you would do?" (Zimbardo, 2008)

The movie [The Wave (2008)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1063669/) was based on teacher Ron Jones's ["Third Wave" experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(experiment)), which took place at a Californian school in 1967 to explain how the German population could accept the actions of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Because his students did not understand how something like national socialism could even happen, he founded a totalitarian, strictly-organized "movement" with harsh punishments that was led by him autocratically. The intricate sense of community led to a wave of enthusiasm not only from his own students, but also from students from other classes who joined the program later. Jones later admitted to having enjoyed having his students as followers. To eliminate the upcoming momentum, Jones aborted the project on the fifth day and showed the students the parallels towards the Nazi youth movements.

What is interesting with the Milgram Experiment is that **it doesn't seem that the root of evil is *always* related to the parts of the brain related to empathy**. You cannot just put those who "failed" the test into the category of those who lack empathy because when you watch the [1962 documentary about the experiment on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4pWJ0_XNo) (PSU, 1962) which showed the experiment in action, an example is at 22 minutes into the documentary, where the "teacher" was showing signs of distress and wanted to check that the "learner" was okay before continuing. When the "teacher" was told he **must** continue he reluctantly did so, but he grew more agitated.

Stanley Milgram’s experiment seemed to inspire Dr. Philip Zimbardo with his studies into evil and heroism. Philip Zimbardo conducted the notorious [Stanford Prison Experiment](http://www.prisonexp.org/the-story) in 1971 and was an expert witness at Abu Grahib

> I became an expert witness for one of the guards, [Sergeant Chip Frederick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Frederick), and in that position, I had access to the dozen investigative reports. I had access to him. I could study him, have him come to my home, get to know him, do psychological analysis to see, was he a good apple or bad apple.
>
> ...
>
> Milgram's study is all about individual authority to control people. Most of the time, we are in institutions, so the Stanford Prison Study is a study of the power of institutions to influence individual behavior. Interestingly, Stanley Milgram and I were in the same high school class in James Monroe in the Bronx, 1954. (Zimbardo, 2008)

With his work, Dr. Philip Zimbardo came to the following psychological definition of evil:

> Evil is the exercise of power. And that's the key: it's about power. To intentionally harm people psychologically, to hurt people physically, to destroy people mortally, or ideas, and to commit crimes against humanity.
>
> ...
>
> The power is in the system. The system creates the situation that corrupts the individuals, and the system is the legal, political, economic, cultural background. And this is where the power is of the bad [apple] barrel makers. (Zimbardo, 2008)

## References

PSU, 1962. *Obedience - username_0ms in the Behavioral Sciences* [Video] University Park, PA:Pennsylvania State University  
<http://www.worldcat.org/title/obedience/oclc/498479796>  
YouTube: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4pWJ0_XNo>  
Online Stream at: <https://cas.byu.edu/cas>

Zimbardo, P. G., 2007. *The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil* New York:The Random House Publishing Group

Zimbardo, P. G., 2008. *The Psychology of Evil*. [Online]  
Available at: <http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you @Chris, i find your post excellent even if there's no neurological conclusions to the formation of evil.  

---

