Simon Says or Monkey See Monkey Do

Aubrey J. J.

Surely we have all heard the term "monkey see monkey do"? It points to some type of behavioral action that is copied by someone that saw somebody else doing something that looked fun, cool, or because everybody else seems to be persuaded to do it. We have also heard of the game called, "Simon Says". "Simon says" is a game that all participants must follow the orders given. If you are to play the game correctly you must obey the authoritative directive of the person leading the game or group in order to be a winner in the game or to ensure an accurate result  in a study of group behavior or activity. Because of peer pressure group behavior and obedience to authority can sometimes end up as a rebellious group or turn out to be a respectful group depending on who decides to follow who in the group.

The Stanford Prison Experiment gave us a clear look at a few different responses in this regard. Especially with those students that clearly were influenced by the "Lucifer Effect". If we could view group behavior and obedience to authority from a controlled environment as we could then we may notice some of the same reactions and see responses to authority expressed through anger, frustration, and bitterness. For example, a group of prisoners are told to lock up in their cells because the Correctional Institution needs to conduct an emergency count because an inmate is not accounted for. That directive may come at a time that inmates are on a visit with a family member, on their only phone call for the week, or while they are allowed to buy commissary, which is a luxury for them. If an inmate refuses the order to lock up for any reason he may cause all of the other inmates to follow his head. Hence, an all out riot could break out because of the pressure of the group  swelling with anger toward authority.

This type of environment helps to produce behavior that will continue to grow and duplicate itself even more aggressively when the convict gets back on the streets because of the group pressure that refuses to obey authority while there are some inmates that really would like to obey an change, but they do not. Most people in prison really would like to be free from deep wounds and personal pains as much as they would appreciate physical freedom, but they are choosing to act as if they are not weakened by what they are going through in order that they will not be exposed to the prison culture of being tough and rebellious. Sort of like in this research experiment conducted in the basement of a college in the 60's or early 70's. There was a college student that agreed to take part in the experiment as a prisoner while other students posed as correctional officers. The student really took on a roll of an inmate that did not want to be exposed as an inmate that did not want to be exposed as an inmate that would betray the culture of the prison while wanting to be freed from the prison. He was an inmate at a real prison. In reality most inmates want to get out on good behavior, but in order to do that they have to obey authority.

No matter if you are playing "Simon says", living anywhere in the world, or if you are in prison, or a part of a prison experiment in the basement of a college we all have to obey authority and try to control our emotions as we live in a world of designed circumstances, experiments, and reality.