Be The One Initiative Praised By Dr. Philip Zimbardo

"What pushes some people to become perpetrators of evil, while others act heroically on behalf of those in need?" Dr. Philip Zimbardo, author, psychologist, professor emeritus at Stanford University and founder of the Heroic Imagination Project, has spent his long career pursuing this question.

Zimbardo dropped in on the “Be The One” Zoom session that was held on June 10, 2020 as part of Crescent’s Upper School Enrichment Week. He spoke about what makes good people do bad things, and how our values can help us rise above an assigned “role” and become an everyday hero. He applauded Grade 12 student Michael Farkouh, who was inspired by the Heroic Imagination Project in 2018 to launch Be The One, a student-led anti-bullying initiative at Crescent.

Zimbardo is perhaps best-known for his controversial 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment that highlighted the ease with which college students could cross the line between good and evil. The Heroic Imagination Project is a nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to training people to act in more heroic ways.

Learn more about the Heroic Imagination Project

[Image shows a photo of Dr. Philip Zimbardo.]
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