Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess,

¶ … Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, contains many references to conditioning and to behavioral psychology in general. Burgess presents his readers with a view of operant conditioning and behavioral psychology as a dangerous, deadly pursuit of sameness and control over mankind. This paper will examine examples of conditioning in a Clockwork Orange, and will examine those examples both in terms of Burgess' interpretations, as well as in relation to behavioral psychology as a whole.

First, it is important to discuss what is meant by conditioning. In the mid-twentieth century, psychologist B.F. Skinner, in the footsteps of such scientists as Pavlov and Watson, sought to examine ways to achieve the ideal society. According to Skinner, the way to achieve this was through the restriction of personal freedoms through behavior modification. This modification included the use of systematic rewards or punishments, and the use of those rewards and punishments with behavior association. As Skinner described, humans could be modified to act in specific ways by encouraging those behaviors through rewards. Conversely, humans could be just as easily manipulated away from given behaviors through the use of punishments. If the stimuli were presented consistently in association with any given behavior, Skinner theorized, those behaviors would become intertwined with the stimuli (Zimmer, 1999).

Skinner went further than some psychologists did, in that he believed that Man had no intention or personal responsibility, and so the ideas of freedom and dignity had to be removed in order for Man to behave in a proper way. Modern behaviorists are a bit more relaxed, yet still believe that mankind is a "behaving biological organism," one that reacts to stimuli presented, and believe that human's internal states of subjectivity are chemical reactions to environmental forces. Thus, mankind's so called "will" and "freedom" and "conscious decisions" are really just reactions to their surroundings (Zimmer, 1999).

As stated previously, a Clockwork Orange was written in direct defiance of the notion of conditioning and behavioral psychology. Anthony Burgess believed that the concepts behind conditioning and behavioral psychology robbed man of his essential being, and were simply a means to create a world in which humans were under the control of a few people. Burgess even went so far as to call Skinner's work on conditioning, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, "one of the most dangerous books ever written." (Zimmer, 1999).

Burgess actually begins to introduce the basic ideas of conditioning as early as page 11. Alex and his "droogs" were preparing to rob a store, and needed witnesses to say they had not left the Duke of New York, a place of drink and food. When they first arrive, the older women in the booth near them are obviously of the mindset that the boys are trouble. Yet Alex and friends buy them liquor and food, and continue this process until the women are thanking them profusely. Once the boys leave and rob the store, they come back, where the women swear to the "millicents" or police that the boys have been in the store all evening. In this scene, Burgess introduces his readers to the ideas of positive reinforcement and conditioning (Burgess, 1962, 11-14).

On page 21, Burgess introduces his own beliefs about conditioning to the reader. Alex and his "droogs" force their way into the home of writer F. Alexander. In the process, Alex notices a manuscript of Alexander's called "A Clockwork Orange." Reading it aloud, Alex reads "The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness...to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise my sword-pen...." It is clear from this passage, and from the later scenes with F. Alexander and his crew against the government's use of conditioning, that Burgess' writer character holds the same views of conditioning that Burgess himself held (Burgess, 1962, 21, 120-130).

We as readers are introduced to Burgess' main thrust of anti-conditioning beliefs on page 67, that of the Ludovico's Technique. In this scene, Alex and the prison chaplain are discussing the technique, and the chaplain is venting his opinion of the technique to Alex, since Alex has expressed interest. The reader is not introduced yet to the premise behind the technique, but the chaplain discusses whether or not it is possible to force a man to be good. He also introduces the main idea behind those who disagree fundamentally with conditioning, that of the fact that by conditioning someone to react a specific way, we are really taking away their choice of action, thus removing their ability to be human (Burgess, 1962, 67).

The chaplain revisits his feelings of conditioning once Alex is approved for the treatment, on page 76. Speaking directly to Alex, the chaplain wonders aloud, "What does God want? Does God want woodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than the man who has the good imposed upon him?." Again, Burgess is introducing the questions about behavioral psychology and conditioning, in that he is asking the question of whether or not conditioning someone to act in a certain way is really allowing them to choose their path in life (Burgess, 1962, 76).

Finally, on page 79, Burgess begins to delve into the true conditioning in his novel, the Ludovico's Technique. The process begins with a shot of "vitamins" in the arm of the unsuspecting Alex. He is then transferred to a room, where he is shown "films." He is then strapped to a chair, where he is unable to move, or close his eyes, or in any way stop from seeing what is about to be shown. The films include beatings, rape, torture, burning, and a form of crucifixion (Burgess, 1962, 79-85).

As he is being shown the films, Alex begins to feel very ill. He describes a gradual increase of illness, from "not feeling well" to "pains all over" and the urge to "sick up." He describes "distress," "sweating," "horrible thirst," and "pain." Alex begins to feel as though if he could stop watching the films, he would feel better. He is, over the course of weeks, subjected to this same "treatment" (Burgess, 1962, 80-92).

Here, Burgess is showing his readers a prime example of conditioning. The "vitamins" they are injecting Alex with are actually drugs that make him feel ill. As he feels ill, they begin to show him random acts of violence. Over the course of a short time, Alex is learning to associate the ill feelings with the violence he is seeing. After several treatments, Alex is taken to the film without the drug, and his body reacts in the same manner, will feelings of violent illness in response to violence (Burgess, 1962, 94).

Additionally, the conditioning begins to change Alex's ability to act violently at all. On page 95, as Alex tries to escape from the treatment center, he finds himself unable to hurt the orderly, due to ill feelings at even the thought of violence (Burgess, 1962, 95). Burgess is displaying the concept that conditioning begins to become associated not just with those activities originally presented with the stimulus, but also those associated in active, normal life.

Alex is, at the end of his treatment, "showed off" to the prison authorities and others to display his "cured" behavior. Alex is tormented and harmed on a stage in front of many people, but is unable to react, due to the conditioning. He instead must attempt to actually be kind to those harming him, in an effort to get rid of the ill feelings (Burgess, 1962, 96-100). Again, Burgess is showing his readers the effects of conditioning on behavior. In Alex's case, the conditioning is making him unable to even defend himself.

Upon his release, he is beaten by old men, made ill by listening to music that once brought him joy, since the same music was used as part of his treatment, and is eventually beaten by police. He is taken in by the same man, F. Alexander, he originally beat, and is made to be part of Alexander's crusade against the government. As F. Alexander states "You have been made something other than a human being..." (Burgess, 1962, 122). Again, we see the effects of behaviorism, and the huge impact conditioning has on Alex's behaviors.