Stories by Stephen Reicher

Stephen Reicher is Wardlaw professor of psychology at the University of Saint Andrews, a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has been studying issues of social identity and collective behavior for nearly 40 years, including crowd behavior, nationalism, leadership, tyranny, intergroup hatred and, latterly, obedience and resistance.

Behavior & Society

Rethinking the Infamous Stanford Prison Experiment

Newly revealed evidence suggests that putting people into positions of absolute control over others doesn’t necessarily lead to cruelty by itself

May 23, 2019 — Jay Van Bavel, S. Alexander Haslam and Stephen Reicher

Behavior & Society

Is Trump Driving Recruits to ISIS?

Research in social psychology suggests that the answer is probably yes

January 31, 2017 — Stephen Reicher and S. Alexander Haslam

The Politics of Hope: Donald Trump as an Entrepreneur of Identity

The president-elect won the election by artfully shaping and responding to his supporters’ views

November 19, 2016 — Stephen Reicher and S. Alexander Haslam

Culture of Shock

Fifty years after Stanley Milgram conducted his series of stunning experiments, psychologists are revisiting his findings on the nature of obedience

October 27, 2011 — Stephen Reicher and S. Alexander Haslam