Behind my back Quote by Philip Zimbardo
“There was zero time for reflection. We had to feed the prisoners three meals a day, deal with the prisoner breakdowns, deal with their parents, run a parole board. By the third day I was sleeping in my office. I had become the superintendent of the Stanford county jail. That was who I was: I'm not the researcher at all. Even my posture changes--when I walk through the prison yard, I'm walking with my hands behind my back, which I never in my life do, the way generals walk when they're inspecting troops.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Stanford Prison Experiment debrief, 1971
The narrator describes being overwhelmed by duties, losing personal identity, and adopting a role that feels authoritative and detached
In simple terms: Intense workload erodes self‑identity and forces role adoption
Key Takeaway
Recognize role strain and maintain personal boundaries
Themes
identity
role
authority
psychology
stress
Mood
overwhelmed
detached
reflective
Type
personal
psychological
When to use this quote
- Prison administration
- research settings
- high‑stress jobs
- leadership transitions
Key Concepts
Role assimilation
identity loss
authority dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How does role immersion affect personal ethics?
- Can authority symbols be resisted?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may romanticize the “general” posture, overlooking ethical concerns
![“The [Stanford Prison Experiment] was readily approved by the Human Subjects Research committee because it seemed like college kids playing cops and robbers, it was an experiment that anyone could quit at any time and minimal safeguards were in place. You must distinguish hind sight from fore…” quote by Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/189/philip-zimbardo-8654_approved_the-stanford-prison-experiment-was-readi_274049.jpg)
