The Power of Systems and Giving In

!!!!!SPOILERS FOR THE FOURTH SEASON OF ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK!!!!!

Like a lot of people, I devoured “Orange is the New Black” when the fourth season came out over the weekend. As a counselor and psychologist, I am fascinated by the studies that Zimbardo has done on prison environments, and it is very apparent to me that the creators of the show are fans as well. One of the scary things about Zimbardo’s findings is that you can put good people in a situation that is dysfunctional and where they have power over others, and they can do horrible things. OITNB offers case study after case study in this phenomena, and this season ended with a punch to the gut that left me crying for thirty minutes and in a deeply contemplative mood.