Behaviorism is an approach in paradigm psychology in which an individual’s behavior is shaped by the environment. People do not have free will. Much like the film, “Clockwork Orange,” classical, and operant conditioning are present, in which behavior is objectively and scientifically measured. The film however illustrates exaggerated and serious negative conditioning. This conditioning changed the character’s demeanor. The internal persona and thought process is modified through events. The behavior regardless of the complexity, can be reduced by a simple stimulus modifying activity in the cortex and inevitably gives a distinct reaction to the stimulus. Research suggests that to predict the outcome of a conditional response, understand the stimulus.
John B. Watson revolutionized and founded the constituents of behaviorism in 1913. The scientific psychological opponents and proponents about behaviorism evolved over the decades. This psychological approach emphasized how human behavior is learned, measured, trained and changed through environmental outfits. Although human behavior may be exemplified by genetic predispositions to act, react and behave, the genetic influence can be modified through various mediums (Harzem, 2004). Aspects of human behavior although innate, behaviorism is a method of conditioning the mind; behaviorists believe that the psyche and the foundational behavioral approach can change (Malone, 2003).
According to Pavlov, he had supportive evidence that theorized instinctive behavior and elicit responses due to conditioning. This behavioral technique changes the structure and inner mechanisms of the cerebral cortex. By applied constraints on behavior, specific transmitters, which are the essential building blocks in the myelination of pathways. Once provoked by conditional environmental impacts, the pathways are altered or re-routed (Malone, 2003). The principle input to the cortex originates from the thalamus, which is a collection of nuclei in the diencephalon, coupled with sight, sound, kinesthesis, as well as motion, arousal and homeostasis. The cortex has stored layers of information relaying through various synapses through Layer I to Layer IV. Imagine evoking the behavioral development and changing the cortical responses. Behavior is no longer dependent upon genetic markers, but rather the environmental triggers through conditioning (Finlay, 2004).
Behaviorists understand the various applications utilized in assessment techniques through positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and systematic desensitization. Two main processes function these assorted applications through classical conditioning and operant conditioning by learning the consequences of behavior. According to behaviorists, they theorize that the mind is not to be an inner psychic mechanism contingent on outer behavioral effects, but to be constituted by outer controls. Additionally, behaviorists utilize negative reinforcement, formally known as avoidance conditioning increasing the effectiveness of a response that avoids rare conditions. Negative reinforcement, if used incorrectly, can be utilized as a punishment technique that suppresses behavior much like the film, “Clockwork Orange”. The scientific methodology rejects the concept that people have free will and the environment inevitably determines all behavior. The behaviorists believe a clue to the human psyche is essentially inner exertions and the outer components influence how the wide ranging knowledge thrives.
Behaviorists convey this concept by utilizing clocks as leverage visible moving exterior parts, while the inner workings of the clock are irrelevant to its statute as a clock, bearing in mind they produce movement of hands (Harzem, 2004). Much like the behavior and influence of conditioning over the human cognizance, atypical clocks are in virtue of sharing inner mechanisms with typical clocks. Although the importance of the clock hands are to impose some minimal constraint, (i.e. society standards, or conditional responses) examining the inner workings of the clock can assist in the maneuvering of its function. It is fascinating that behaviorists utilize clocks as an example, as the film and book, “Clockwork Orange” exemplified the concept of negative reinforcement and mirrored brainwashing to the fundamental belief that it inevitably impacts the cortex. The cortex and the thalamus are compelled to transmute through a collection of nuclei in the diencephalon, and within the cortex layers.
Since the cortex is the primary source for signals of sight, sound, kinesthesis, as well as motion, arousal and homeostasis, conditional restraints are patterned. The main character, Alex DeLarge or Alex Burgess, in the screenplay and book, exhibited psychopathic tendencies, uninhibited by pain, and the inability to be empathetic to sadness. The Ludovico Technique in the film was used as an aversion therapy in which the eyes are forced to remain open with antique lid clocks, to watch horrific footage repeatedly coupled with the crimes Alex committed. After enduring many conditional aversion therapies, his provisional responses to behavioral tendencies caused tremendous pain and panic (Baum, 2011). His initial leverage for sociopathy in life as a survival tool, inevitably became his demise, as the conditional response forced him to “feel” through negative reinforcement. For example, any concept of murder, rape, pain or nudity created excruciating physical pain from negative conditioning, forcing Alex to avoid any forms of sexually explicit content and visibility. His sinister nature was broken down, transforming into a kinder alter ego (Baum, 2011).
Although society viewed him as a criminal, his character was transformed, this predictably became his demise and punishment, physically unable to endure any form of violence because of the physical pain that would be directly associated with any visual stimuli from the Ludovico Technique (Malone, 2003). Conversely, the impacts of behaviorism allows a researcher to investigate observable behavior in scientific and systematic manners. Biological psychology emphasizes how much power the brain and genetics play in controlling human actions. However, behaviors can be modified through mental processes such as thinking, problem-solving and language. Although the film illustrated extremist approaches to conditional therapeutic techniques, behaviorists believe it is an influential force in psychology. Utilizing extremist conditional responses exemplified in the film, would be frowned upon. Nonetheless, the basic behavioral principles help teach new behaviors while discouraging unwanted ones (Moore, 2013).
