A Developmental Study Of Alex In Kubricks A Clockwork Orange Essay

A Developmental Study of Alex in Kubricks A Clockwork OrangeSynopsis of A Clockwork Orange     In A Clockwork Orange, the main character is that of a mildly youngchild of 15 who, along with his fellow friends, or "Droogs", partake in eveningsof Ultra-Violence. Ultra Violence consists of random beatings, theft,destruction, and rape. The main character, Alex, is the self-proclaimed leaderof the pack, and makes thought on their actions pending on his mood. His Droogseventually find themselves under his direct rule, following his every word, anddecide to challenge his authority.     The three Droogs (Dim, Georgie, and Pete) join Alex on his capriole to alocal "fat farm" to pillage the goods therein. Inside, Alex stumbles upon theowner of the resort, and after a length scuffle with her, ends up giving her ablow to the principal with a rather large, ceramic replica of an erect penis. When heleaves the outer gates of the complex, D im surprises him by smacking a milkbottle against his face. His counterparts incline while little Alex is leftbleeding and blinded to deal with the police.     Upon interrogation of Alex, he discovers that the blow he delivered tothe young lady was a fatal one. He is charged with first-degree murder andsentenced to 14 years in prison. While there, he befriends the resident ministerand becomes a helper to his service. The minister, Alex soon discovers, is apart in a new form of treatment that is trying to be implemented prisons tohelp "cure" inmates from committing acts of violence. Through luck anddiscussion with the higher officials in the prison, Alex is chose to be a guineapig for the experiment, and is sent to become "inoculated from violence".     The treatment consisted of Alex being strapped down to a chair in frontof a motion picture screen, having electrodes attached to his head, and being keptfocused by small pairs of clamps used to disable his ability to blink. This,along with the injection of an experimental serum, is monitored whilst he viewsmovies of UltraViolence. The serum leaves him undefended to his surroundings,which are destructive films, and induces such feelings of helplessness, fear,and near-death paralysis, similar to that of drowning. Alex soon associates thi... ...sounds of Beethoven were not intentional, thus not needing reenforcement.However, Alexs trauma could also be referred to as a muleteer approach totreatment. Skinners theory was that one could achieve a conditioned response bygiving the subject positive or negative reinforcement. In his experiments, amouse was put in a cage with nothing but a pressable button and a light. Whenthe bar was depressed, the light flashed and food was delivered into the cage.If the mouse were dropped into a similar cage, it would be safe to assume thatit would retain the reaction to hit a bar and receive food. The conditionedresponse was to hit the bar when hungry. The reinforcement was the food that wasprovided by completing the response. In Alexs case, the reinforcement would bethe metal satisfaction of not going through with his cherry-red needs when he issubjected to violent surroundings.In conclusion, the theories used as a basis behind Stanley Kubriks AClockwork Orange, resemble that of the theories that came from the greaterthinkers of modern time. Alex, the guinea pig in this tale, is a real exampleof many psychologists case studies, and could be analyzed differently from each.