The lost boys : inside Muzafer Sherif's Robbers Cave experiment
(Book)

Illustrations and portrait on inside book covers.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-372).

"Competition. Prejudice. Discrimination. Conflict. In 1954, a group of American boys attended a remote summer camp where they were split into two groups, and encouraged to bully, harass, and demonize each other. The results would make history as one of social psychology's classic studies, and most controversial, studies: the Robbers Cave experiment. Conducted at the height of the Cold War, officially the experiment had a happy ending: the boys reconciled, and psychologist Muzafer Sherif demonstrated that while hatred and violence are powerful forces, so too are cooperation and harmony. Today it is proffered as proof that under the right conditions warring groups can make peace. Yet the true story of the experiments is far more complex, and more chilling. In The Lost Boys, Gina Perry explores the experiment and its consequences, tracing the story of Sherif, a troubled outsider who struggled to craft an experiment that would vanquish his personal demons. Drawing on archival material and new interviews, Perry pieces together a story of drama, mutiny, and intrigue that has never been told before"-- Provided by publisher.