It’s a quirky piece of trivia that feels almost too strange to be true: Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo, two psychologists famous—or perhaps infamous—for their morally questionable experiments, both graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx. This public high school, a far cry from the ivy-covered halls of academia, somehow produced two men who would forever alter our understanding of human behavior—and ignite heated debates about research ethics along the way. What was it about Monroe High that sparked such a fascination with humanity’s darker side?

Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiment: Shocking Insights into Authority

Stanley Milgram’s 1961 obedience experiments remain some of the most well-known and controversial studies in psychology. He sought to understand how ordinary people could commit atrocities under authority—a question that was front and center in the wake of the Nuremberg War Criminal Trials, as “I was just following orders” was a common defense.

The setup was deceptively simple: a “teacher” (the participant) was instructed by an authority figure to administer increasingly painful electric shocks to a “learner” (actually an actor) whenever they answered questions incorrectly. As the (fake) shocks escalated, the learner would scream in pain and eventually go silent. Despite obvious distress, a shocking (pun intended) 65% of participants obeyed instructions to deliver what they believed were debilitating or potentially fatal shocks simply because an authority figure told them to.

Milgram’s work revealed unsettling truths about human nature: obedience to authority often trumps moral reasoning. But the experiment also ignited intense ethical debates, with critics arguing that participants were subjected to extreme emotional stress without fully informed consent.

Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment: The Dark Side of Roles

A decade later, in 1971, Philip Zimbardo conducted his own notorious study: the Stanford Prison Experiment. With the aim of exploring how social roles and power dynamics influence behavior, Zimbardo transformed the basement of Stanford University into a mock prison and assigned 24 male college students to roles as either guards or prisoners.

What began as a two-week experiment spiraled out of control in just six days. The guards quickly adopted authoritarian and sadistic behaviors, subjecting the prisoners to psychological abuse. The prisoners, in turn, became submissive and even despondent, showing signs of extreme emotional distress. Zimbardo himself, acting as the prison superintendent, became so engrossed in the study that he initially failed to intervene in the guards’ escalating cruelty.

The experiment’s premature termination highlighted the dangers of dehumanization and unchecked power. Like Milgram’s study, Zimbardo’s work has faced significant ethical scrutiny, with critics questioning the lack of oversight and the psychological toll on participants.

What Was in the Water at James Monroe High?

Both Milgram and Zimbardo went on to shape psychology—and controversy—with experiments that pushed the boundaries of ethics and revealed humanity’s darker tendencies. But it’s almost uncanny that these two men, whose studies are forever linked by their moral ambiguity and brutal insights, walked the same halls as teenagers.

What inspired them to delve so deeply into human behavior? Was it a shared Bronx grit, shaped by the melting pot of James Monroe High School? Did the school nurture an unusually strong curiosity about the human condition? Or perhaps there really was something in the water.

Note: I learned that Milgram and Zimbardo attended the same high school from Adam Mastroianni’s fantastic substack newsletter.