Factors Influencing Conformity; Abu Ghraib Prison

     Abu Ghraib Prison; a horrific place that people don't seem to believe can still have a place in todays modern world. Unfortunely in late 2003 to early 2004, during the Iraq War, torture and humiliation of prisons was being performed in the Abu Ghraib Prison.

A Prisoner standing on a box for hours
 and told that he would be executed
if he moved.

After taking over a prison in Iraq, volunteer American Troops were sent to look after the prisoners. These troops physically, sexually and mentally abused the prisoners; including prolonged sleep deprivation, religious humiliation, and and prolonged painful postures were only a few of the techniques they used to "soften" them up for interrogation. 

     Why did these troops do this? Was there a reason? Phsycologist believe it was because of Conformity. Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. Deviations of Conformity may have more specific relevance. The first being informational influence, meaning that we want to be right and believe others have that info we might be lacking so we modify our attitudes to fit theirs. This could have happened with the troops around the them. If one of them decided to do this and the others believed them to have that information that they were lacking, they would conform. Similarly, Normative influence is that we want to be liked by others so we changed to what they expect us to be like, even if its not right. Because they were troops, they might have had a bias for them to all be rough and tough and so for other to like them, they might have conformed to be what they thought others expected them to be. The last influence is Referent Inofrmational Influence, meanignt hat we are more likley to conform to our in group and having a sense of belongingness to maintain their desired social identities. This one is very likely because what if someone protested the torutre. They would no longer be part of the in group and all of a sudden be left in the out group. They wanted to stay together as the American Troops so everyone conformed to stay in the "in-group", even if what they were doing was completely unethical on every level.

     Still, the Troops should have punishments and even though they were exposed to Conformity, there is no excuse for their actions.