PSY 111 - L

Not so fast Brainiacs! Why IQ isn't as important as you think.

2009-10-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

It is the general consensus of the public that those among us with genius level IQ's are the most successful people around. They get into the best colleges, have high paying job offers coming in every which way, and do the best at their work. I felt this way also until I came across a presentation by author and psychologist Daniel Goleman, who is a proponent against the importance played on a person's IQ. Rather than focus on someone's smarts, Goleman bases his view on a human's brain on how they handle themselves and their relationships, or their emotional intelligence. He stresses the importance of this because while one's IQ is only based on a person's smarts, emotional intelligence controls all the other abilities our brain is responsible for. This means that the geniuses with only a sky high IQ are considered more limited by Goleman in comparison to their coworkers with high amounts of emotional intelligence.

Goleman continues his approach on his belief when discussing what companies should look for in new employes. He says that they should look at the qualities that make their star workers so great in comparison to average workers and look for the same traits in possible employees. When doing this, Goleman says it will be clear that while a good IQ is necessary to be considered for an opening, a high emotional intelligence is going to fit in with the star worker mode. Goleman breaks down the top six qualities employers should look for when trying to hire stars in the making :

(1.) a singular drive to achieve

(2.) have an impact / influence

(3.) pattern recognition analysis

(4.) takes on challenges without being told

(5.) persistent in tackling problems

(6.) self confident

Every one of these star worker qualities properly describes a person with a great emotional intelligence. This information goes on to show that while it is nice to have a ton of smarts, workers need to be well rounded in today's world to get to the top.

To view Goleman's piece on this topic, click the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hoo_dIOP8k

2009-10-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

Traditionally society has measured a person's potential for success by their intelligence as measurable by IQ. However recent insight into what makes a leader great may suggest that IQ is only a part of one's ability to be successful and potentially not even the most important part. This is a theory championed by a prominent writer and psychologist Daniel Goleman, who recently spoke to an audience of Google employees.
The basis of Dr. Goleman's belief is the existence of different types of intelligence, specifically intellectual and emotional. He says that although test and other academic means may be able to measure IQ they do not give an accurate reading of emotional intelligence and it is this latter trait that plays the largest role in determining the success of a leader. His beliefs also firmly rest on the relationship between IQ and emotional intelligence being random.
The essence of Dr. Goleman's belief is that at a certain level of leadership the entire population is at or beyond an above average IQ emotional intelligence will still have a random distribution and those who are most adept in this category will most likely succeed. These leaders will be able to use their left pre-frontal cortex to control the instinctual stress responses of the amygdala and allow the person to best focus on finding a solution. Goleman also argues that it is necessary to have emotional intelligence to make decisions because although it is largely IQ that reasons costs and benefits it is the emotions that can then compare those cost and benefits to prioritize the solutions. It is thus just as important that one spend time developing emotional intelligence as well as IQ.

IQ vs. EQ

2009-10-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Emotional intelligence describes the ability, capacity, skill or ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. Daniel Goleman spends much of his time being an advocate for the importance of Emotional intelligence. He explains that emotional intelligence is very important in determining success. He goes on to explain that it can be even more important that an individual’s IQ when determining job success.

He then talks about how the brain evolved from the bottom up from evolution. He states that when it got to mammals they needed a brain that can register emotions. He then goes on to explain how a structure in the mid brain called the Amygdala. Most information goes to the sensory cortex, but a small part of it goes to the Amygdala that scans to see if it is a threat. He then explains that it is a hair trigger and has the ability to activate and axis that preoccupies our attention to what emotion overwhelms us.

There are four parts to emotional intelligence. The first is self awareness which is very important for decision making. The second is Self-management which has to do with self control. The third and fourth are social awareness and relationship management. According to Daniel Goleman, these four parts are what make up emotional intelligence.

To take an emotional intelligence test you can go here.....

http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm

Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Success in the American society often refers to the financial aspect; the more money one makes, the bigger the house and the nicer the car, and thus success. Especially in America today, IQ, GPA, and SAT are common, everyday acronyms that, from an early age, define success. One who receives straight A's and graduates Summa Cum Laude is the one whom is admired by his or her fellow students. However, in my humble opinion, success is not defined by wealth, nor popularity, nor security. Success can only be defined by you.
Thus the world of Emotional Intelligence. This concept introduces the belief that success, rather than just money or natural intelligence, is defined by our Social intelligence. The individual who does not only have the natural intelligence but also the social intelligence is the most successful. This emotional intelligence focuses on 4 main aspects: Understanding, Managing, Perceiving, and Using your emotions. By accomplishing and mastering these concepts, one is able to be socially applicable and have high self-motivation along with high self-confidence.

The "all-around" person is one who is generally referred to as being intelligent, whether it be in school, society, or both. These people are more generally the first hired in the "real" world, as they show their employers both the mental and emotional intelligence needed to be "successful." For these employers, the leadership and social abilities are more important to their business than solely intellectual ability.

Daniel Goleman's video reintroduces an eye-opening idea that can benefit society. Emotional intelligence is arguably the most important aspect of having success, not just the intellectual aspect (see picture above). In most cases, Emotional Intelligence is more important than intellectual intelligence, and needs to be widely accepted as such.

Emotional Intelligence vs. IQ

2009-10-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

It would be easy to assume that those who are most successful in life are those that have the highest IQ's, or the highest levels of intelligence. However, Daniel Goleman argues that IQ is only a part of what makes people succeed, but not necessarily the most important part. Factors of emotional intelligence that govern success (more-so than raw intellect does) include emotional mastery, motivation and empathy. IQ is a threshold ability which means that you must be smart enough to get into the game (i.e. college, grad school), but what allows you to become an emergent leader is your level of emotional intelligence. For example, self-mastery is a very important cause of success, and this is controlled in the basil ganglia, which observes every situation we do in life and decides what works and what does not. This tells us what is right or wrong as a gut feeling. Those who are successful have an active "social brain" which is wired to connect with the social brain of another personal and this reads everyone else's non-verbal cues. For all of these reasons, emotional intelligence plays a more significant role in determining one's success than raw intelligence, or IQ, alone. It is what causes one to stand out and emerge as a leader after entering the game.

Don't be afraid to show emotions, everybody my age does. It's the coolest.

2009-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

The old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover," means that when you have only seen the surface of something, you cannot know what is on the inside. Researcher Daniel Goleman is trying to open people’s minds to show how our emotions may be more important than our IQ. Our EQ, or our Emotional Intelligence, relates to how we handle other people and situations that arise. In handling these situations humans are actually controlling their emotions to keep determined and succeed. In other words we may now be able to attribute someone's success to their EQ and how they control their emotions. All emotions affect our lives either negatively or positively. So don't be afraid to show your emotions, even if you do get embarrassed, because it’s how you use you EQ in response to the situation that will lead you to success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoD9LCGsjas

Emotional Intelligence vs. IQ, which is smarter?

2009-10-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

A person's IQ has always been a used as a measure of a person potential to acheive success in the workplace. However Daniel Goleman argues that emotional intelligence is more important in becoming a leader and a success in the workplace. Emotional intelligence stresses factors like self-awareness, motivation, empathy, emotional mastery, and social effectiveness. If you are want to understand what Emotional Intelligence is a bit more try finding out your own EIQ here.

http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/eiq_abridged_access.html

Dr. Goleman stressed six distinguishing abilities that are tell tale signs of an emotionally intelligent person in the workplace.

#1 - A Singular Drive to Acheive

displaying high internal standard and sets challenging goals

#2 - Impact or Influence those around them

hold their own in a debate, or influence and audience

#3 - Pattern Recognition

Able to identify underlying problems

#4 - Analysis

Can draw logical conclusions

#5 - Takes on Challenges
#6 - Self-Confidence

A person displaying these traits is an extremely emotionally intelligent person and according to Dr. Goleman will be a success as a leader in the workplace. In the battle of IQ vs. Emotional Intelligence Dr. Goleman shows that IQ is a qualifying basis that can get you into "the game." However without emotional intelligence you will not be able to go very far. A leader must posses the skills to understand his or her own emotions and the emotions of those around them.

A crucial part of managing your emotions is managing your "fight or flight" response. When confronted with a problem or stress at work your amygdala will activate and in some cases even "Hijack" your body. Chemicals readying your body to react against a physical stress will only increase your stress at work and can cause you to react inappropriately in the workplace.
Watch this video to further understand the amygdala hijack and its affect today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShAeGDqT0xU

Humans, more then a number

2009-10-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

I found it very interesting to see numbers become a threshold and not a definition of who somebody will be. In a world that is dominated by GPA and S.A.T scores it was interesting to see somebody who believed that the most successful people are intelligent yes, but also posses the intangibles to succeed. This is called emotional intelligence, which is to say the ability to handle your emotions in order to succeed in the work place. Human capabilities are more than numbers; we are controlled by the Frontal Cortex and the Amygdala. They control our decisions and can sometime betray us in an amygdala hijack. Without these two parts of the brain working in tandem we cannot function well. The lawyer who had the connection split lost control of his life could no longer think comprehensively, yes his IQ was still high but he could not put it to use. Humans cannot be measured in numbers, especially in the work place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7x8URq-lJI&feature=PlayList&p=08FD34426220FA15&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=50 Is EQ better then IQ, explanation of how it effects your daily life in and out of the work place by Susan Dunn.

Heart Over Head : Emotional Intelligence's Impact on Success

2009-10-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Everything in our world is fueled by competition. The quickest way to measure individuals against each other is with standardized testing. These are good for judging raw intelligence and IQ, but we are learning there is more to success than just this. Researchers such as David Goleman are opening people's eyes to a whole new aspect of the brain, the Emotional Intelligence. The emotional intelligence refers to our social intelligence. This is our ability to handle ourselves, relate to others, strive for success, and stay motivated. In fact, a study done by MIT found that their most prosperous alumni were not the students who attended with top grades, but those who participated in other aspects of the school environment such as clubs and teams, therefore exhibiting emotional intelligence. In essence, as long as some one has the determination and drive within, the sky is the limit.

Is Emotional Intelligence the Key to Success?

2009-10-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Author Daniel Goleman seems to think so. Goleman argues that emotional not intellectual intelligence is more important in determining the success of an individual. Emotional intelligence consists of building relationships, self-awareness, life lessons, adapting to change and other soft skills. These soft skills Goleman, argues have hard consequences, mainly leading to the success of the individual. When people are asked to state what qualities or abilities successful leaders have, they majority of the skills are under emotional intelligence. This means that indeed the most successful people are those with a higher emotional intelligence rather than intellectual intelligence.

In his lecture Goleman discusses the importance of the connection between the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex (executive center) of the brain in emotional intelligence. The PFC is in charge of regulating, evaluating, and calming amygdala impulses so as to stop an individual from doing something rash. This also serves to trigger the moods and emotions in an individual, and thus is a important component to self awareness. This connection is important to maintaining any level of emotional intelligence, as Goleman proves with his example of the lawyer whose connection between the PFC and amygdala was cut. The lawyer who had a very high IQ was incapable of keeping a job or maintaining any personal relationships. This was because the connection between the the PFC and Amygdala had been lost and with it the lawyer's emotional intelligence. This proves that IQ alone is not a key for success.

Goleman also comments on the fact that successful people are individuals who are able to discern others emotions and connect with them. Goleman stresses that a social connection with others is a key component to success and emotional intelligence. Goleman gives the example of a debate between a monk and a professor prone to argument. In the beginning of debate the professor was very quick to become upset, while the monk was entirely calm. By the end of the debate the monk's calmness had influenced the emotions of the professor who by the end of the debate had calmed down as well.

Emotional intelligence is something that develops and grows as individuals grow and gain wisdom, it is woven into the very basics of the human species. Goleman proves that emotional intelligence definitely plays a key role in the success of a person.

IQ v. EQ : Which is More Successful?

2009-10-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

When you think of the most successful people in the world, your mind might think of those with the highest IQ. IQ is a measure of one’s intelligence, which can be applied to one’s behavior and abilities. There are many theories of intelligence, including Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence and Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence.

Having a high IQ proves that you have book smarts, but without emotional intelligence, how can you be socially coherent? In today's world, communications skills are more important than having the best GPA. According to Daniel Goleman, “emotions have the primary survival function”. It is the way you interact with others that helps to mold you. There are four demands of emotional intelligence or EQ: understanding your emotions, managing your emotions, perceiving your emotions, and using your emotions. The toddler in this clip is demonstrating that he understands emotions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0onYFBluUuQ

When looking at a pool of applicants for a job, Goleman says an employer should use competence modeling. This method doesn’t just the applicants on their IQ or test scores, but it compares them to others who held the job in the past. He says that emotional intelligence matters more than IQ in the workplace, and you can’t expect IQ alone to be highly effective at a job. People who have a higher EQ tend to be more self-driven and hold leadership roles. If you possess EQ, you will tend to lead a more successful life.

2009-10-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Daniel Goleman explains how vital emotional intelligence is to become successful in life. No longer is high IQ believed to catapult you ahead of the pack, but how stressors affect your performance. Emotional stress always creates a hierarchy of events that completely change both your sequence of thinking and your actions to combat that stressor. This kind of reminds me of the fight or flight response. Success is achieved on how you react emotionally to stress, whether you let that stress slide or you take it hard.

Goleman's Secret to Success

2009-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Daniel Goleman, the author of the #1 best seller, Emotional Intelligence, gives hope to all the people who struggle to achieve high test scores or don't meet the requirements for having a high intelligence quotient (IQ). Goleman stresses the point that the most successful people in this world, especially in the work place, have a common characteristic of high emotional intelligence.

According to Goleman there are six aspects of emotional intelligence. The first of these aspects is having a drive to achieve. A person who has a very high IQ can be absolutely useless if they do not have a drive to achieve. Therefore a person who has an average IQ who has a drive to achieve can be much more useful than a person with a high IQ and no drive to achieve.

The next part of emotional intelligence is the ability to successfully persuade and argue with others. In my opinion this characteristic has a small trace within the IQ but relates to emotional intelligence because of the need to be reasonable and have the ability to relate to people.

The next characteristic is pattern recognition and the ability to see what matters. This deals with knowing when to care deeply about things and knowing when to let things go. It is connected to social intelligence and something that a person with a high IQ can easily lack. Another characteristic within emotional intelligence is the ability to analyze and change problems. A person with a high IQ may able to remember important facts and be considered intelligent for that, but someone with high emotional intelligence is analyze certain things so that they have a value, even though they may not be able to remember as many things. The next aspect of emotional intelligence is initiative, or taking on challenges without having to be asked. This characteristic is often highly valued in the work place. Interns often use their initiative to get a job in order to make up for defects in a resume.

Finally, one more very important aspect of emotional intelligence, is self-confidence. This aspect of emotional intelligence can increase a persons general value because a confident in one's self allows one to bring out their positive qualities. A person with just as many positive qualities who isn't self-confident will not appear to having any value because their positive characteristics will not be revealed without a sense of confidence.

In conclusion, there are many different definitions for intelligence. Some say that it is the

ability to comprehend while others say that it is the ability to memorize. Either way intelligence

is often a measure of a person's ability to succeed. This is true in a way, but only if emotional

intelligence is included within this measure of intelligence. Goleman supported this thesis in

his lecture at Google and this theory seems to be taking a strong position within the work place.

The link below is a humorous take on the way some people demonstrate absolutely no intelligence at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lh4RPd8Vwk&feature=related

EQ=Key to Success

2009-10-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

Daniel Goleman’s speech examined cognitive psychology in real-life, specifically emotional intelligence (EQ). He argues that intellectual quotient (IQ) is not the only factor that determines if an individual succeeds in a business; EQ is actually unrelated to IQ scores. Goleman supports the idea that an individual’s emotional intelligence, not intellectual quotient, reveals his or her ability to be an outstanding leader. Emotional intelligence is defined as how a person behaves by managing his or her emotions and empathizing with other people’s feelings so they can interact and communicate effectively. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is catalytic for other abilities in life; companies should be looking for a strong emotional intelligence rather than a high IQ when looking to hire. Those with high emotional intelligence are found to have social and educational success in life.

Daniel Goleman discusses emotional and social intelligence in an interview with Harvard University’s Senior Editor of Harvard Business Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qv0o1oh9f4

Furthermore, Goleman declares how emotional intelligence integrates different parts of the brain including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex which impact decision making and one’s ability to prioritize their emotions. Overall, EQ is a key component when looking at the mental processes of cognitive psychology.

This is a video of the marshmallow experiment Daniel Goleman described in his speech with relation to learning how to deal with impulsiveness when making decisions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkn4J_l9uU&feature=related

EQ is the New IQ

2009-10-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

When people think of intelligence testing, IQ is all that comes to their mind. Daniel Goleman changed the way people thought of intelligence and defined a new way to test for success. Emotional Intelligence is a different way of being smart by understanding your emotions (self-awareness); motivating yourself with enthusiasm; staying optimistic; and managing your feelings and relationships. A high IQ can help a person get good grades but the difference with EQ is that it is your people skills and how you control your emotions and use it to your advantage.

Daniel Goleman discusses a new modeling called Competence Modeling which is hiring/selecting someone based on recent employee’s characteristics (that is if they were good employees). In conclusion, Dr. Goleman believes you will be better off in the real world if you have a better understanding of your emotions and goals and also the emotions of those that surround you.

Emotional Intelligence > IQ

2009-10-27T17:46:00.001-07:00

Daniel Goleman, like many college admissions staff who turn away high SAT scores for applicants with other achievements, believes that tests used to decide how smart a person is doesn’t actually confirm how successful that person will be in the workplace. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is often defined as a person’s ability to identify, assess, and manage their emotions. Through graphs and real life examples Goleman showed the Google staff that emotional intelligence better provides a measure of success than the intelligence quotient, or IQ. The four domains of emotional intelligence: self awareness, self management, social awareness, and relationship management are shown in the image below.

A person in control of the four domains of emotional intelligence is said to have an active prefrontal cortex.

The amygdala is the part of the brain that responds to negative stimuli and sends the information to the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex or the executive part of the brain keeps humans from making quick decisions without thinking. There is good news and bad news about this fact. The bad news is that not all people are in control of their prefrontal cortex. The good news is that with meditation and other techniques, Goleman says that a person can control their emotions; therefore, they can increase their chance at success in the workplace!

"Talking Heads and Hearts"

2009-10-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Emotional intelligence, according to Daniel Goleman, is how we handle ourselves and our relationships. In his discussion at Google, Goleman discussed emotional intelligence and its relationship to IQ.

When talking about EI vs. IQ, Goleman uses a competence model that explains how emotional intelligence relates to job success. The facets of this competence model are:

1) The singular drive to achieve

2) Impact or influence - persuasive arguments, debates, etc...

3) Conceptual thinking - pattern recognition, problem solving, etc...

4) Analysis - drawing logical conclusions

5) Taking on challenges

and finally 6) Self-confidence

Goleman stresses that IQ alone is not enough for you to be successful in your job; you must also have the emotional intelligence traits from the competence model.

http://www.danielgoleman.info/blog/topics/emotional-intelligence/

Emotional Intelligence vs. IQ

2009-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Most people strive to receive good grades and build up their intelligence level in hopes of one day landing their dream job. Daniel Goleman, however, would tell these students to put their books down and instead focus on their emotional intelligence, or the way in which they handle themselves and their relationships with others. Goleman believes that emotional intelligence takes priority over IQ level because IQ measures your ability to do well on a test while emotional intelligence is your actual drive to succeed in the real world. Emotional intelligence allows us to have a vision of how we want to succeed in life, and permits us to put this vision into action by using our emotions to manage people and situations we are faced with at work, home, etc.

When hiring someone for a job, Goleman believes that you should take their emotional intelligence into greater consideration than their IQ level. This is because someone with a high IQ may appear intelligent on paper, but when put in situations where they are forced to aid fellow employees, they are incapable of guiding them in the right direction because they are unable to effectively, sensitively, and properly communicate with them. So being successful does have to do with our emotions, not IQ score. Businesses are looking more and more into people’s emotional intelligence than they are their IQ scores because EQ levels determine a person’s personality and communication skills which are crucial in leading and sustaining a successful business.

Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

In the dictionary, intelligence is defined as "the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situation." Dr. Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence specialist, argues that this has nothing to do with your IQ, but rather your EQ, or emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the way a person handles their emotions and how well they can relate to others. He says that an emotionally intelligent person has six distinguishing characteristics which includes, their strong, internal drive to achieve, their impact or influence, pattern recognition, problem solving abilities, willingness to take on challenges, and self confidence. Goleman believes these "soft skills have hard consequences" and are the reason for peoples success in the work place.

An example that Dr. Goleman uses to explain how emotional intelligence affected a persons success was a story he told about his conversation with a member of the Board of Trustees at MIT. Goleman said that this man had done a study about the largest Alumni donors at MIT and compared them to what they were like while in school. Their study showed that all of the brilliant bookworms with 4.0 GPA's in college donated less than the people who did the work but were also involved in teams or clubs. These people became powerful business leaders, founders, or heads of companies and were able to donate more money to the school because they were more successful. This is because those people had a higher emotional intelligence because they were involved with more and interacted with more people in college than the bookworms. Therefore, these people could understand their feelings as well as others and could relate more to others.

Another study done on emotional intelligence involved preschoolers and marshmallows. 4 year old children from the Stanford preschool were given a marshmallow by an experimenter. The experimenter then told the children that they could eat the marshmallow now, however, if they waited until he got back from running an errand they could have two marshmallows. When the experimenter left the room approximately 2/3 of the kids waiting until he got back to eat the marshmallows. The experimenters then followed up with the kids 14 years later to see how they had developed. The children that had waited to eat their marshmallows surprisingly had more friends in school, and scored 210 points higher on the SATs than the kids that did not wait to eat the marshmallow. This shows that the kids that waited have higher EQ's than the kids who did not wait.

To watch a clip of the marshmallow test click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY

Overall, a higher EQ will get you farther in life than IQ will. IQ can help you land a job, but EQ will help you go above and beyond to reach that highest position at that job.

Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Dr. Daniel Goleman feels that to be successful not only IQ matters. Emotional intelligence "EQ" is very important. To be successful you need more than just a high IQ. There are more important things then just being smart. You need to be aware and manage your emotions.

The two aspects of emotional intelligence:

- Understanding yourself, your goals, and intentions

- Understanding others and their feelings

IQ should not be the only thing that determines lifetime success. you can be the smartest person in the world but if you do not understand the goals of yourself then actually becoming successful will be hard because you will not know what you want to do in life. With a high EQ

and having a true understanding of yourself and everyone around you, you will realize what you want to accomplish in your future.

Don't be ashamed to cry!

2009-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, believes that in order to be successful, a high level of emotional intelligence is desirable. He believes that based on the way the brain is structured, these "soft skills", such as empathy, leadership, motivation, and passion give us the leverage to best use our skills and to realize and make full use of our own capabilities.

The importance of Emotional Intelligence is being more and more stressed throughout business offices. Daniel Goleman emphasizes that these "'soft skills' have a hard value in a work environment". He stresses that IQ alone will not make you that much better or more qualified than anyone you work with as the test results will only be separated by a very slight and inadequate number of points. He also states that in all jobs, at most any level, emotional intelligence competencies have a 2:1 ratio of greater importance in achieving success. The greatest sign of this competence is "the singular drive to achieve and to improve performance". Empathy, passion, and motivation are the driving forces behind anyone with a high EQ score. These traits all directly aid and contribute to success.

So go right ahead. Cry, laugh, smile, and frown. Even better, scream at the top of your lungs. The more connected you are with your emotions, the better.

To test your Emotional Intelligence, follow the link below!

http://www.ihhp.com/quiz.php

To test your IQ, follow the link below!

http://www.iqtest.com/prep.html

Emotional Intelligence-The Key to Success

2009-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

According to Dr. Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence is the key factor for success in the workplace. Emotional Intelligence can be defined as "a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and action."

EQ is not something that is taught or tested in school like IQ is but we now know that when it comes to being successful in life and in the workplace, EQ is much more important than IQ.

Goleman has found that there are Four Domains of Emotional Intelligence:

1. Self-awareness (emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, and self-confidence)

2. Self-management (emotional self-control, trustworthiness, adaptability, achievement orientation, initiative, optimism, and conscientiousness)

3. Social awareness (empathy, organizational awareness, service orientation)

4. Relationship management (inspirational leadership, influence, developing others, change catalyst, conflict management, building bonds, teamwork and collaboration, and communication)

These four aspects of EQ are further explained in the following video-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R716ljv1-tI

Success requires more than IQ which has tended to be the traditional measure of intelligence. Every person has met someone who is extremely brilliant in academics but cannot socially carry on a conversation, this does not say that those people will not be successful in the workplace, it just says that the ones who are going to flourish and become the CEO's of companies are most likely going to be the ones with a higher EQ.
Emotional Intelligence can further be explained through this Emotional Intelligence Model-

Four Pieces of Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Dr. Daniel Goleman challenges how the world views intellect with the idea of "emotional intelligence". This theory holds that a person's IQ is not be the most important factor in determining success in the workplace. Goleman believes that in order to do well one must "be smart enough to get in the game" but not necessarily have the highest IQ. I think emotional intelligence can be split into four interconnected pieces that must fit together properly, much like a puzzle, in order for success: understanding your emotions, managing emotions, perceiving emotions, and using your emotions.

1. Understanding your emotions

This is a crucial step in emotional intelligence because in order to understand others' emotions, you must first understand your own emotions and feelings. The "wisdom of emotions" takes information from past experiences to form the best decision or what is known as a gut feeling. Without this seemingly simple ability, we could not be successful.

2. Managing your emotions

The next branch of emotional intelligence is the ability to be able to successfully manage your own emotions. Once you know what emotion you are feeling, you can only achieve if you do not let those emotions get in the way of your goals. Dr. Goleman added that you do your best when your attention is focused. People who easily allow distractions to prevent them from discovering his or her greatest potential will not do as well as those who are able to control these feelings.

3. Perceiving emotions

This piece involves how one responds to other people's emotions. Someone who is very good at realizing and understanding thoughts will have more success satisfying the other person's needs or desires. This is obviously beneficial in the business world and will greatly increase chances of success at work. Part of our brain called the "social brain" is designed to interact with others. Those who know how to use this part of the brain most effectively will thrive regardless of raw intelligence.

4. Using your emotions

Most successful leaders understand how to use emotions in order to benefit him or her. Not only can emotions be used to be effective and persuasive, but they can also be used to motivate others and most importantly yourself. Goleman explained that the "singular drive to achieve" is the difference between the exceptional and the average.

EQ: A Step Above

2009-10-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Dr. Daniel Goleman’s focus is on the idea that EQ is more important than IQ when it comes to performance in the workplace. He describes EQ as “soft skills with hard consequences”. While IQ analyzes your test taking abilities, it does not necessarily determine your ability for success in the workplace. On the other hand, EQ tells how confident, self-sufficient and prepared you are. Dr. Goleman believes this is what truly determines leaders and those who have the drive and will become successful, but might not have the highest IQ. He reasons that intelligence must embrace these two aspects:

1) understanding yourself, your goals, intentions, and actions

2) understanding others and their feelings

And that is exactly what EQ does through the four domains:

Self-Awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship management

Fly high and become a leader, brush up on your EQ skills and be successful!

Emotional Intelligence - Bringing Performance to Another Level

2009-10-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

"Once you are in the game, what is it that is going to allow you to become an emergent leader?" According to Daniel Goleman the answer to his own question is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is described as the ability to handle ourselves and our relationships, and it is surpassing IQ as the best way to determine a persons competence in the workforce. Like the quote by Goleman above states, IQ can help you get the job position you want, but once the interview process is over and it's time to get work done, IQ takes a backseat to emotional intelligence. This is because the way you deal with coworkers and clients is much more important than how high you once scored on an intelligence test. For this reason more and more companies are using competence modeling, which is the idea of hiring people based on their similarities to other people who excelled at the same type of job.

This seems like the best way to improve performance with any kind of work because by hiring the most competent people for a position and not just the ones with the highest IQ, the liklihood of them being effective at their job increases significantly.

The reason measured intelligence is becoming less important for success is the power that emotional intelligence has. IQ can be calculated with numbers but EQ is all about what a person has inside them. Goleman mentioned that the number one competence that set stars apart from the average person is the drive to achieve. This is what seperates great individual performances from mediocre ones and that is something that cannot be measured with an intelligence test. A high IQ may get you that job you want but without an equally high EQ, you will never reach the highest level.

Key to Success: Be Emotional

2009-10-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today, success is measured by how much money someone makes. In a recent study of MIT graduates who could afford to make large donations and were very successful came to an interesting conclusion. It found that undergraduates who kept 4.0 gpas were not the most successful. It was the undergraduates who were good enough to get in and get through, but had other abilities already. For example, they were the team captain of a sports team, the club president or started their own business as undergraduates.

In fact, it was found in countless studies that the predictive power of IQ over career success was around 4%. Dr. Goleman describes IQ as a "threshold ability." Intelligence is needed to a certain point but other factors determine success beyond that. Dr. Goleman explains that there are six distinguishing competencies. These distinguishing competencies become more important as a higher level of success is reached.

1. The drive to achieve.
-high internal standards
-working long hours, setting challenging goals
2. Impact+Influence
-making persuasive arguments, proving a point in a debate, finding important points well
3. Conceptual thinking(pattern recognition)
-picking up patterns, seeing what really matters, finding underlying problems
4. Analysis
-breaking problems down, predicting how small changes will effect other areas, anticipating obstacles
5. Taking on Challenges
-being persistent
6. Self-confidence
-being able to work alone efficiently

Out of these six distinguishing competencies, four are related to emotional intelligence and two are related to cognitive abilities. This shows why intelligence is a crude predictor of success. Emotional intelligence(EQ) is clearly more important. The drive to achieve, impact, challenging oneself and being self confident and have little to do with IQ and are instead related to EQ.

Forget Your IQ... Enhance Your EQ!

2009-10-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ever heard a boy tell a girl she's being dumb for being so emotional? Well, think again boys! In fact, it may be just that ability to connect with their emotions that sets them apart!

According to Dr. Daniel Goleman, when it comes to intelligence, a person's "raw intelligence" (their IQ) takes the backseat to their emotional intelligence. Due to the fact that the vast majority of the population's IQs are separated only by a few measly point, there is a greater determinant of what will make a person succeed - in Dr. Goleman's eyes, this determinant would be a person's drive to succeed coupled with their ability to reason and cooperate with others. These traits are entirely separate from book smarts, yet they make all the difference. Sure, it's great to maintain a 4.0 GPA, but what good will that do if you cannot successfully relate to and work with others?

Without passion and the confidence to achieve goals in the workplace, a high IQ is rendered useless. So, yes of course it is important to study and learn as much as possible about your particular field of expertise, but just because you don't graduate with a degree from MIT doesn't mean you are doomed to fail! In fact, many companies are now taking on Competence Modeling in their hiring processes in which they hire those that resemble the stars of their company with the drive to achieve as their number one sign of competence.

Emotions are an important part of life and it is with them that we learn to aspire for greatness, motivate ourselves to reach new heights, and work collectively and effectively with others in the process.

Interested in finding your EQ? Why don't you test it yourself by clicking here!

The Intellect of Emotion

2009-10-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

A high IQ has always been an impressive trait for someone to have in our society. However, Dr. Goleman does not believe having a high IQ is the single predeterminant of success. Instead he believes emotions plays a key role in the lives of every human being.

Goleman believes that self-awareness is a key factor in decision-making. Also that managing emotions helps you put things in perspective. Goleman suggests that good social skills and the ability to empathize are key determinants of power. All of these factors can affect how motivated someone is to succeed and his ability to do it.

Goleman states that those who are able to control their emotions well and have the best attitudes toward life frequently have active left prefrontal cortexes. Thus they are innately in control of their amygdala, which determines what is a threat and causes the negative emotions that are associated with such stresses. What if you find that your right PFC is active instead? Are you doomed to fail? No! Goleman says you can strengthen and build circuitry through activities such as meditation.

The G-Men

2009-10-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Union and Divergence between Gardner and Goleman

Daniel Goleman and Howard Gardner advocate similar theories on the subject of intelligence. Both men perceive intelligence in terms of multiplicity. Daniel Goleman’s fascination and concentration on the importance and value of Emotional Intelligence is also emphasized in two separate sections of Gardner’s Eight Frames of Mind. Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence are listed as strengths and distinct units of measuring intelligence in his theory. Interpersonal Intelligence, which measures the proficiency of the individual in understanding and interacting with others, and Intrapersonal Intelligence, which measures one’s capability to be self-aware, conscious of their own self, were repeatedly illustrated as dominant elements for success in the Google Lecture.
The psychologists, however, differ on the importance of Emotional Intelligence. The opposition of Goleman on the Eight Frames of Mind occurs when Gardner claims humans vary in the spectrums of intelligence and where one category is not inferior/superior to another. Goleman differs as he affirms that the two intelligences that are most important in the field of success are Quantitative and Emotional. No such elements as musical, spatial or naturalist prowess affect the success and happiness of the individual. In the end, Goleman champions a duplicity type of intelligence over the recognition that emotional and quantitative intelligence, while significant, are perhaps not the only reason for individuals’ success in life. Gardner's spectrum of intelligences provide a different perspective as its lend itself to having people of nontraditional talents labeled as high intelligence.

Your IQ Isn't Everything: The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

We were told while we were growing up that we should do our best in school to make the best grades we could. Why? Because that was what we were told would set us apart from other people vying for the same job. If you were up against a Harvard graduate, that means you're not getting the job.

The idea behind what people define as "successful" has changed. It is no longer your IQ or GPA, but your emotional intelligence that is the most important. Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, takes interest in this idea, saying that our emotional intelligence is what drives us to succeed and sets us apart from “raw intelligence”. It is the perception, management, and control of our emotions. Without it, we are found to have no drive, no vision, and no will to succeed. Our emotions relate directly to our leadership abilities and how we take control of a situation and make it work. A person with a 4.0 GPA could be naturally intelligent and completely incapable of leading anyone if they lack emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence also affects the people we interact with every day. You will find a person in a successful area if they can relate and understand other people.

Therefore, the key to success IS all in our emotions.

Goleman mentioned an experiment that exemplified emotional intelligence. A child was placed into a room with a table, and on the table was a marshmellow. They were told they could eat the marshmellow now, or wait 20 minutes to get another one as well. This forced the children to use self-control. Later, they found the now 18-year-old children that were used for the experiment. It was shown that the children that displayed good self-control were more dependable, and also scored around 210 points higher than the others on their SAT. View the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvVBp8xeidY

Emotional Intelligence: The Real Key to Success?

2009-10-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

"Emotional Intelligence may be the best predictor of success in life, redefining what it means to be smart."-Time Magazine

Daniel Goleman, writer and psychologist thinks that it is not how smart a person is (IQ), but perhaps their emotional intelligence that matters the most. Emotional intelligence makes people highly effective no matter what they do. Those who are high on emotional intelligence often emerge into leadership roles.

Important aspects of emotional intelligence are understanding self-goals and intentions as well as others feelings and emotions, holding a very high internal standard of achievement, and being self confident. An individual who poses these characteristics is much more likely to succeed in life as well as the work place because they bring a certain passion and emotion to their work as they do in their personal lives.

According to research, a persons success at work is 80% dependent on emotional intelligence. Emotions play a key role in leadership, making a person more effective at decision-making, building stronger interpersonal relationships, dealing with stress, and enhancing creativity.

IQ is clearly not the only aspect that contributes to success in life, in order to be successful one must be able to identify and perceive emotions, both their own and others.

One specific Experiment Daniel Goleman spoke about that I found particularly interesting was a marshmallow experiment that tested kids ability to use self control. The kids were offered one marshmallow, and if they waited to eat it until the experimenter returned they would get a second. When these children were looked at again when they were graduating high school it was found that the ones who waited for the second marshmallow got along better with friends and scored an average of 210 points better on the SAT's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0oPuAO3M8c

(A clip of the Marshmallow Experiment!)

2009-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

We have all heard that you should be nice to the smart kids in school, because chances are that one day they will be your boss. Daniel Goleman sees things differently. He shows us that it is not always the people with the highest I.Q. that are successful in the real world, but those who are smart enough to make it in and know how to relate to others.

Goleman's definition of Emotional Intelligence has six main points: you must have a drive to achieve, being able to persuade and successfully argue with others, pattern recognition and seeing what matters, analysis skills and being able to change problems, taking on challenges without being asked to, and self-confidence. In other words, the great leaders are those who are self-confident and able to see what is motivating others so as to be able to activate as much motivation as possible.

I.Q. is clearly not the only deciding factor in people's success. We must be able to read and react to people around us in order to obtain success. Our emotional intelligence plays an equal if not greater role in determining how well we get along in this world.

Emotional Intelligence

2009-10-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Daniel Goleman's thrust on emotional intelligence has changed the way cognitive psychologists view intelligence. What is intelligence? And how does it relate to success? And what do emotions have to with it? These are just some of the questions that Goleman's lecture raises and answers.

Classical Conditioning in Criminals

2009-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

In the movie Clockwork Orange, the main character Alex is convicted of rape and a brutal murder. While in jail Alex makes friends with the resident priest at the prison seems to value his faith in God. When the minister of the interior comes to visit the prison, Alex speaks out amongst all the other prisoners and ends up being chosen as the prisoner who gets to be sent to the Ludovico medical center in order for the doctors to test a new treatment that they hope will succeed in curing criminals.

The test that Alex undergoes is a perfect example of the concept of Classical Conditioning. In order to free Alex from jail and the possibility of returning to jail, the doctors force an association to occur in Alex’s mind between violence in sickness. They force him to watch videos containing raw violence immediately after he is given a shot that makes him sick to his stomach. The shot that Alex receives is the unconditioned stimulus, while the sickness that he feels is the unconditioned response. Over periods of time and repeated viewings of these violent videos (neutral stimulus), the sickness that Alex feels becomes a conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus, which is the violence. After this association has been strongly formed within Alex’s brain, he is conditioned to stay away from violence because he associates with that sick feeling that he does not want to experience. This lasts until Alex experiences extinction, which is the weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response as a result of the repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

The link below provides a more humorous example of Pavlov's concept of Classical Conditioning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7jcI8fAuI

Talk about Mind Games!!! A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

In "A Clockwork Orange", Alex DeLarge is a murdering, sick-thinking individual who takes part in an extreme version of Pavlov's Classical Conditioning called the Ludovico technique. At the testing facility, DeLarge is placed in a straight jacket and has his eyelids clamped open as he is shown gruesome and horrific acts of violence similar to that of which he has done to others. At the same time, he is given drugs that make him feel incredibly sick. As a result, DeLarge now associates any inclination to commit murder or rape to feeling ill, making him unable to even think of going back to his old ways. Here is a link to a video to show the experiment DeLarge went through that turned him into a different person: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NMzepSePD4&feature=related

One might ask, "Why does this experiment lead to the change in DeLarge?" The answer is that the experiment followed Pavlov's elements. The drug was used as a unconditioned stimulus in helping to sicken DeLarge. The images on the screen are the controlled stimulus because they provide something for DeLarge to view while starting to feel terrible. The unconditioned response of the test is that the prisoner starts to feel nauseous and ill over time. Finally, DeLarge believes that he is becoming sick from the awful images he is watching and associates violence and sickness together as the neutral stimulus. Now if DeLarge attempts to commit any of the same crimes he did beforehand, he will be immediately become terribly sick because of what he went through in the experiment.

God-Given Free Will in "A Clockwork Orange"

2009-10-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

"A Clockwork Orange" is an intense movie based on a relatively simple idea discovered by Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov research basically consisted of a dog's reaction to the sound of a bell with food and became known as "classical conditioning". In this particular study, the neutral stimulus of a bell and the unconditioned stimulus of food produced the dog to salivate automatically. He observed that eventually the dog began to associate the sound of a bell with food because the dog would salivate with only the sound of a bell, assuming he or she would receive food after the sound.

The doctors in the movie used the idea of classical conditioning to cure a murderer of his immoral past. In one specific scene in the movie, Alex, the young man who committed "the accidental killing of a person" is given medicine that will produce a feeling of nauseousness right before being exposed to dozens of brutal crime scenes including explicit rapes and murders. As seen in the image above, closing his eyes or avoiding the video is clearly impossible.

Just as the dog salivated every time a bell was rung, the reasoning behind this torture is so that Alex would throw up every time he witnessed violence. In a way his body was supposed to work like a clock (hence the movie title) and would literally not let him commit crimes or even watch them. This is certainly an interesting method to prevent crime however it does not solve the problem and in the end Alex must kill again.

Why is this? Why can't our bodies be adjusted and trained like a clock would be? I believe it is because of our natural free will which in essence defines us as human beings. After Alex is supposedly healed the chaplain asks a similar question which directly corresponds to this reasoning and to one of the movie's major themes:

"What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?"

Ultra-Violence & Rape = nausea. Classical Conditioning in A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

In A Clockwork Orange, a film by Stanley Kubrick, Alex's main interests are ultra-violence, rape, and Beethoven. The doctors in this futuristic film want to change that. To do this, they must condition Alex to associate these things (well, primarily just the ultra-violence and rape) with something distasteful. The Ludovico Treatment is just the thing for this endeavor:

"The idea is that if the patient is forced to watch the horribly graphic rapes, assaults and other acts of violence while suffering from the drug effects, the patient will assimilate the sensations and then become incapacitated or very ill either attempting to perform or even just witnessing said acts of violence" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovico_technique)

Essentially, this is textbook classical conditioning. Through the Ludovico Treatment, Alex "learned" to associate the horrible feelings of nausea with the violent images so that when he experienced violence in real life, the same feelings of nausea would overcome him and force him to retreat from said violence.

The Clockwork Orange as it Pertains to Classical Conditioning

2009-10-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

In the 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, a twisted method of reform is put into use upon a young man, Alex DeLarge, who is sentenced to fourteen years for murder. Desperate to be freed from his sentence, Alex subjects himself to an experiment under the eye of Doctor Ludovico whose approach involved conditioning Alex to associate violence with severe, debilitating physical sickness by administering to him a shot that induces nausea and sickness and then forcing him to watch deeply disturbing scenes. The doctor's experiment can be associated with none other than a form of learning known as Classical Conditioning.
Classical conditioning is the process by which someone or something learns to associate one stimulus with another - a series of cause and effect. The first aspect of this type of learning is the unconditioned stimulus (this produces a response without prior learning). In Alex's particular case, this stimulus would be the shot given to him prior to each viewing. The conditioned stimulus, in this case the violent scenes, is then coupled with the unconditioned stimulus to elicit an unconditioned response. The unconditioned response in Alex's story is the nausea that is induced by shot without his knowing (because he does not know the shot induces the illness, he believes the scenes truly sicken him). It is not until the end of his experiences under Dr. Ludovico's guidance that Alex encounters, the conditioned response. When Alex is declared "cured" of his evil ways he is released back into society. The conditioned response is most prevalently noticed when he is about to hit the man that is now staying in his room at his parent's house. As he raises his fist, he is overcome by a great feeling of sickness that almost causes him to collapse.
There is only one person involved in Alex's ordeal that seems to see the dangers involved in releasing him back into society. The priest from the prison claims that Alex is still inherently evil and is deterred only by the pain and not by the will of internal goodness. Unfortunately, the priest is proven correct in the end when extinction (the disappearance of the conditioned response) occurs and Alex kills yet again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1DCun3U9M

The Surrogates.. Like Clockwork

2009-10-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

A clockwork orange, seemed to be an awful barbaric movie, but it seems that this is way society is headed. We no longer want to take the slow and steady approach, keeping Alex in prison for 14 years. We all want the quick fix, 2 weeks of the treatment. The treatment provided to Alex is an example of classical conditioning, in which his unconditional stimulus, the shot he receives, causes him to become sick. This sickness, in turn makes him associate the conditional stimuli, which are terrible scenes of rape and violence, with dry heaving and sickness. This concept of being able to control people and their morals is similar to the box office hit Surrogates. In this movie people can control a surrogate person and lead the life they’ve always wanted to from a chair in their home. Of course as we learned in A Clockwork Orange attempting to control people and their morals can remove the human characteristics, Alex becomes what would
.
It is also interesting that the scientists in the movie were willing to completely brainwash Alex. He was not actually a more or less moral person he just now became sick when he tried to do something immoral. He was reformed physically not ethically. Is this the way society is headed? It seems we will do anything to get the desired result no matter what bridge we have to cross to get there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwTJ7mCcFoY
Created Years Apart these two movies both discuss the removal of human characteristics from the human race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1DCun3U9M

Classical Conditioning - The Job of a Puppeteer

2009-10-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Clockwork Orange shows us how effective and inhumane classical conditioning can be. Of course, the method used in this movie was an extreme example of it, but it demonstrates how wrong this process can be. Classical conditioning takes away the freedom of choice. People have the right to choose everything they do in life and although some choices are more encouraged, no one can really make a decision for somebody else. However, this technique of learning aims to do exactly that. The prison guards weren't happy with the way Alex lived his life so they took him in a lab and created a new person. By making him watch movies of violence while he was tied down and nauseated, they were forcing him to associate that feeling of sickness with murder, rape, and any type of violence that one may encounter in the world. So when he faced these things on his own he would be overtaken by the feeling of nausea and he would be unable and unwilling to do these unforgivable acts.

They determined his actions for him and made sure that he would never do wrong again. He no longer has the choice to do good or evil; that choice was made for him. Because of this he ceased to be an individual and instead became somebody else's puppet - with the "doctors" holding the strings.

Classical Conditioning in "A Clockwork Orange"

2009-10-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

In the film, "A Clockwork Orange", a boy named Alex is sentenced to jail after him and his fellow "droogs" were involved in rape and murder. Men offer Alex the chance to be given "a treatment that gets you out of prison in no time and makes sure you never get back in again". He accepts and is taken to a medical facility where he is told that he is undernourished and in need of a shot. Little does Alex know that the shot is the unconditioned stimulus in the Ludovico technique. Alex has no past associations or learning experiences with the shot, yet it will cause a reaction, and this reaction will be Alex feeling sick when he is shown violent images. The violent scenes are the conditioned stimulus. The unconditioned response is the nausea that Alex experiences. The conditioned response is best seen when Alex feels sick when he is about to inflict violence on the man who is renting his room. The Ludovico technique proves successful, until after a while extinction occurs which is the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response as a result of the presentation of a conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned response. Alex feels the need to kill again.

Classical Conditioning in the movie : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6CZYUxcOM

Another example of Classical Conditioning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7jcI8fAuI

Removing the Violence or Covering it Up? Classical Conditioning in Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Ludovico Treatment used on Alex, in the movie Clockwork Orange, is a clear example of classical conditioning. This type of conditioning assumes that when a subject is exposed to an unconditioned stimulus, the stimulus elicits an unconditioned response. The subject is then exposed to a neutral stimulus at the same time as the unconditioned stimulus. The subject learns to associate the unconditioned stimulus with the neutral stimulus, thus both stimuli resulting in the unconditioned response. In other words the neutral stimulus alone becomes the conditioned stimulus and results in the conditioned response. As I previously stated the rehabilitation of Alex is a perfect example of classical conditioning. The diagram below demonstrates this:

The above video gives a glimpse of the Ludovico Treatment used on Alex.

Alex's treatment consists of begin inject with drugs that cause nausea and then to be forced to watch movies of extreme violence and of rape put to the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven. In addition Alex is put in a death like paralysis via a straight jacket, hand and leg cuffs, head restraints, and even clips to keep him from blinking. After weeks of treatment Alex's conditioning is shown off to a skeptical audience. During this exposition Alex is incapable to retaliate against an attacker or to touch a half naked women, because of the nausea that takes over. Alex is then released from jail because he seemed to have lost all inclination towards violence. Alex is unable to defend himself from attackers after he is released and he also is unable to listen to his favorite music without becoming sick. However in the end of the movie Alex commits an act of violence once again. This brings about the question of whether conditioned behaviors are really stronger then the workings of the mind. Or put in context, did Alex's conditioning really purge his violence or did it only become a temporary barrier for his violent nature. If this were the case then that would mean that classical conditioning is not capable of fixing a problem, it can only cover it up for a while. So classical conditioning then, can never be fully maintained, and if a subject is not exposed to the stimulus for a period of time the response evoked by that stimuli weakens till it is non-existent. I would be interested to know how the rest of Alex's life turns out. Whether he sticks to violent crimes or loses interest in such things. Does behavior conditioning really work or is it truly mind over matter ( or specifically behavior)?

That’s as Queer as a Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

The title of the British film, “Clockwork Orange” is derived from the Cockney expression “that’s as queer as a clockwork orange.” The director of the film intended to allude to the classical conditioning (a form of associative learning) of the main character, Alex, in the title because his reactions after conditioning were similar to nothing other than clockwork after treatment. Alex landed himself in jail after he killed a woman living alone. Obviously, violence was neutral to Alex in jail before conditioning; in fact, he felt no remorse for the brutal murder and rape that he committed. Alex's desire to leave jail caused him to volunteer for an experimental treatment. Initially, in the Ludovico technique, the shot

(unconditioned stimulus) led to the sick feeling (unconditioned response) before Alex realized that violence (neutral) had anything to do with the sick feeling. The conditioning made the combination of violence and the shot make Alex feel nauseous. After treatment and conditioning, Alex made the connection between violence, which became the conditioned stimulus and sickness, which became the conditioned response and he immediately felt sick when he was presented with violent thoughts even without the injection. In conclusion, the Ludovico technique forced Alex to make the association between violence and sickness through the shot (unconditioned stimulus).

Classical conditioning was also used in a famous experiment by Pavlov who trained dogs to drool with the ring of a bell.

A Clockwork Orange: A New Method in Classical Conditioning

2009-10-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

A clockwork orange shows a twisted version of Pavlov's idea of classical conditioning. In Stanley Kubric's rendition of the novel the protagonist Alexander Delarge opts to become a participant in a psychological experiment to make him "good" in only a month of treatment. He is first administered a shot of a serum which is the unconditioned stimulus. The serum brings about extreme feelings of nausea, this is the conditioned stimulus. Then he is strapped into a chair with his eyes forced open and forced to watch videos of "ultra-violence". The videos of violence is the neutral stimulus. Alex associates his feelings of extreme nausea with violence. The idea is that every time he witnesses violence it will bring about extreme nausea and he will never be able to act violently, in this manner the treatment is successful.

A lighter example of classical conditioning can be seen in this video...
watch from 6:19-7:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pw_eX97TUw&feature=related

Once Alex's inability to commit acts of violence the prison reverand brings up a crucial point. He says that Goodness comes from within and must be chosen, If a man cannot choose he ceases to become a man. It is impossible to be good if you cannot choose.

The picture shows a fork in the road. This is a classic symbol of a choice. Alex would be incapable of making the decision to go left or right. It is chosen for him. He cannot decide to be good or bad, his body forces him to not act violently

"Insane in the Membrane, Insane in the Brain"

2009-10-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

In Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge's droogs (his friends) betray him and leave him to be arrested for Ultra-violence and rape. While in prison, Alex becomes good friends with the chaplain and joins him in a treatment, Ludovico. The Ludovico treatment is a therapy to help rehabilitate criminals. For the therapy, Alex was given a drug as an Unconditional Stimulus, then forced to watch violent films as the Conditioned Stimulus. The drug makes Alex feel nausea during the film, the Unconditioned Response. BUT then after a few treatments, he beings to connect his nausea feeling to the violent films, the Neutral Stimulus. This is an example of Ivan Pavlov's Classical Conditioning. Post treatment, Alex begins to lose the connection with nausea feeling and violent crimes, Extinction. In result, the treatment fails and he continues to murder again. A video on Classical Conditioning:

Classical Conditioning through the Ludovico Technique

2009-10-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

In the movie A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge claims he wants to be good again after he brutally murders a woman. He chooses to go through the new treatment, the Ludovico Technique, which, through classical conditioning, promises to rid him of his violent nature. He is given serum that makes him feel physically ill after seeing videos of people getting beaten or raped. This is the unconditioned stimulus, which means that it creates a reaction even though there are no past experiences with it. The conditioned stimulus was the violent images that were shown to Alex. The serum and the images created the unconditioned response, which was his reaction to the film (nausea). Alex was tested with an man who proceeded to punch him and a naked woman, both to which Alex proved his conditioning had worked. But does this treatment really make him “good” again or is a temporary stop to his violent nature?

2009-10-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

In A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge is brought to jail after being convicted of murder. Once in prison, Alex hears about a treatment that can take him out of jail and potentially turn him good. The method used to cure Alex is a cruel example of classical conditioning. It is within classical conditioning that one learns to associate a certain stimulus with a particular response. The doctors in A Clockwork Orange give Alex an injection that produces feelings of nausea. Alex’s eyes are forced to remain open as he watches a series of violent films. Alex inevitably feels sick as he watches. The shot is the unconditioned stimulus, which leads to the unconditioned response, nausea. Because of this treatment, Alex is forced to link illness with the neutral stimulus, which is violence in this case. This form of classical conditioning leads Alex to associate violence with feelings of nausea, and thus prevents him from committing crimes in the future.

Classical Conditioning within the video can be found by clicking on the link below...

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=a%20clockwork%20orange%20classical%20conditioning&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

Classical Conditioning in A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

In Clockwork Orange classical conditioning is used to cure a young criminal, Alex, of his evil ways. Convicted of raping and murdering a woman, Alex is sentenced to fourteen years in jail. Desperate to get out of his long term imprisonment, Alex is selected to be part of an experiment. This experiment features the process of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning includes an unconditioned stimulus that produces a response without prior learning. In this circumstance, the unconditioned stimulus is a shot administered after each of Alex's meals. This shot is then followed by sessions of viewing violent scenes. As the films progress, Alex feels increasingly nauseous due to the serum from the shot. Therefore, the unconditioned response is Alex's nausea from the injection. The films Alex views make up the conditioned stimulus of the classical conditioning experiment. Prior to the treatment, violent acts and rape had a neutral response in Alex, but when combined with the shot and nauseous feelings he experiences, Alex begins to associate the violence with his ill feelings. After two weeks of brutal testing, Alex acquires the conditioned response of connecting evil acts with sickness. When proclaimed "cured" and released into society once again, we observe that Alex has no inclination towards good, however is physically incapable of violence do to the extreme discomfort and illness it induces in him. By the end of the film, this classical conditioning in Alex becomes extinct due to lack of continued reinforcement, and Alex regresses to his evil way and kills yet again.

Psychology in A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

“It’s association, the oldest educational method in the world. And what really causes you to feel ill.”- Dr. Brodsky, A Clockwork Orange

The Ludovico treatment given to Alex in A Clockwork Orange is a great example of Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning in psychology. In this case, Alex receiving the injections from the nurse represents the unconditioned stimulus. Being tied up and forced to watch violent scenes of abuse and rape is the conditioned stimulus. As a result, Alex feels nauseous which is the conditioned response. After repeatedly going through this treatment, Alex begins to associate what he saw with what he felt. Here is the clip of the movie that demonstrates the behavior modification treatment and classical conditioning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6CZYUxc0M

After released, Alex associates violence with nausea which initially limits his ability to be violent as he is unable to hit is parents’ new irritating son. Unfortunately, Alex’s conditioned response eventually becomes extinct after time. The treatment proves to be unsuccessful and Alex continues to murder again.

Here is another example of classical conditioning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7jcI8fAuI&feature=related

Clockwork Orange: Cured or Cunning?

2009-10-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

In the movie, convicted murderer, Alex finagled his way into the Ludovico Treatment to avoid his long life sentence. The treatment used classical conditioning to turn this killer into someone with an ill feeling towards violence. But was Alex truly cured or was it just a big scheme to get out of jail early?!?!?

Alex: “You needn't take it any further, sir. You've proved to me that all this ultraviolence and killing is wrong, wrong, and terribly wrong. I've learned me lesson, sir. I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise god!”

While Alex begged for mercy, he admits that violence is wrong, but the truth is he knew this before hand, hence why he was in jail. He also claims that he has learned his lesson, but what lesson? Violence is wrong, or I will not murder??

Alex's mind may have been manipulated to think violence is wrong through the manufactured sickness, but he still ultimately holds the power to make wrong decisions and act upon them.

A Clockwork Orange: Classical Conditioning

2009-10-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

A Clockwork Orange is a film that was based on a novel A Clockwork Orange written in 1962. The film features a young man named Alex DeLarge who is the leader of a gang which he refers to them as "droogs". The setting of the movie is London. Alex is a very disturbed individual who enjoys violence and rape. Alex is arrested for murder and volunteers for a fictional "Ludovico technique" which is supposed to give him an early release from jail.

Classical Conditioning is very relevant in this film. Classical Conditioning is defined as a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. In this film they force Alex watch a series of violent images during the Ludovico procedure. They feel that if he watches these videos and sees these images under the influence of drugs Alex will be cured of his problems. They try to relate his actions that are similar to the ones in the images to something harmful like the effects of the drugs. When he thinks about doing these actions he will remember how he felt when he had the drugs in his system and hopefully not act as he did.

Classical Conditioning in A clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Ludovico Treatment in A Clockwork Orange is a severe example of classical conditioning. Alex receives a treatment every day and is forced to watch grueling movies about situations involving rape, murder, and serious violence. Once over, Alex feels nauseous every time he is involved in violence or tempted to commit an "evil" act. This causes him to associate the overwhelming feeling of nausea with any sins he may commit, making him "good" as the doctors say.
The label of "good" on Alex is an inaccurate one, for the boy has been manipulated by the serum that he was given. This serum is the unconditioned stimulus. Through cause and effect, it can be determined that the feeling of illness is the unconditioned response. Through Alex's experience with the movies of violence (below), he begins to associate this nausea with the violence, which would be considered the neutral stimulus.

We see in the scene at Alex's house the effect of the serum in making Alex "good". Though tempted to punch the man who rents out his room and insults him, Alex instead is overwhelmed by the nausea, and is unable to do anything he wants because of this ill feeling. Although Alex may still have the desire to punch the man, his body will not allow it. While his body is restraining him from being "bad", his mind still wants to be. Therefore, Alex is not "good", he is just being prohibited from being "bad" physically.

The Cure: For Humans or Dogs?

2009-10-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

The movie A Clockwork Orange is a classic example of how conditional responses work... for dogs. I feel as if the doctors in this movie succeeded in making Alex a productive member in society, where there needs to be a sense of self control in public, which is just the reason behind training your dog to act appropriately in public. However, I would like to see how Alex would react to becoming a productive member of a family, where he would need to face a naked woman in order to conceive a child and if that managed to become successful, how he would discipline his children without becoming "sick". It could take years before Alex could become a "family man" rather than just a productive member of society after the treatment he received. While it seemed the doctors have succeeded in curing Alex from violence they in turn dehumanized him.

A Clockwork Orange: Extreme Classical Conditioning

2009-10-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

"Our subject is, you see, impelled towards the good by, paradoxically, being impelled towards evil. The intention to act violently is accompanied by strong feelings of physical distress. To counter these the subject has to switch to a diametrically opposed attitude. Any questions?"-Dr. Brodsky in "Clockwork Orange"

In Clockwork Orange, the main character Alex is sent to jail for murder but offered an experimental treatment that will turn "bad into good" through a new "technique" of extreme Classical Conditioning. Classical Conditioning is a type of learning where an organism learns to associate one stimulus with another, such as a dog seeing a leash excites them for a walk. Before watching films showing horrible images of violence Alex is given a shot that will make him experience nausea. The shot is theUnconditioned Stimulus which in turn produces nausea, which is the Unconditioned Response. After watching many hours of violence while feeling nauseous Alex learns to associate nausea with the Neutral Stimulus, violence, thus the conditioning has stopped him from committing violent acts because he will experience intense nausea if he ever tries to do anything violent or sees anything of that nature.

This is a helpful diagram for a better understanding of Classical Conditioning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6CZYUxc0M

(A short video Clip of the Conditioning!)

The treatment for Alex works, but eventually a processes called Extinction occurs, a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition, or in his case stopping a negative condition. I believe that because of extinction and that fact that his goodness is involuntary, that is why Alex feels the need to kill again at the end of Clockwork Orange.

A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

In the movie A Clockwork Orange, Alex DeLarge is imprisoned for raping and murdering a woman and is sentenced to 14 years in jail. However, Alex wants to try the new experimental treatment that he has heard will release you from prison early and takes about two weeks to preform. The doctors tell Alex that this treatment is in the experimental phase and could cause serious damage, but Alex does not care he just wants to get out of jail. The doctors take him to the treatment facility where he is given an injection and then taken to a viewing room to be strapped into a straight jacket. The doctors clamp his eyelids open so no matter how hard he tries he can not close his eyes. They show him pictures of violent scenes as they play his favorite classical music in the background. As the pictures continue Alex begins to feel very sick and begs for the treatment to stop. Alex has to go through this process every morning and afternoon until he is fully cured from his violent tendencies. After two weeks, every time he wants to do something violent he gets that nauseous feeling and can not preform the task.

The doctors used classical conditioning to rid Alex of his violent tendencies. Classical conditioning by definition is when organisms learn to associate one stimulus with another. In A Clockwork Orange, there were three main stimuli involved, the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus, and the unconditioned response. The unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that is produced without any learning involved. In Alex's case, the unconditioned stimulus was the shot of medicine. The conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that will create a conditioned response once it is repeatedly put together with the unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus in this example was the pictures of violence that the doctors showed him. The unconditioned response is then created by an unconditioned stimulus without prior learning and was the nausea that Alex felt each time he wanted to preform a violent act.

A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Forced to watch gruesome films about violence and sex, Alex begins to see how disgusting and horrid his recent lifestyle has been. The intense moments of fear and dread experienced during the viewing sessions trigger his mind to become extremely scared and panicked whenever he encounters sex or violence (as well as Ludwig Van's number 9) in the future.

He was chosen to participate in a study that was supposed to change criminals' minds so that they no longer think of these acts as acceptable. The experiments end up messing up Alex's mind for the rest of his life. Creating a few events that cause Alex to loose control when he encounters them and do whatever necessary to get away from them.

Though a bit intense and vulgar, Clockwork Orange is a genius display into the mind of a truly deranged criminal.

Understanding Classical Conditioning - A Clockwork Orange

2009-10-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

The doctors from the movie, "A Clockwork Orange" use the technique of Classical Conditioning to "cure" Alex of his violent tendancies. Alex is transferred from jail to the Ludovico Medical Facility where he is experimented on. After every meal Alex is given an injection of a mysterious medicine, then during the day he is taken to a theater where he is straped to a chair that secures his entire body including his eyelids which are held open with clamps. While in the theater he is shown very violent movies with rape and murder and the only sound playing is classical music which is his favorite. As Alex continues to watch the violent films he begins to feel very sick because of the medicine that is kicking in. This routine is continued everyday and as time goes on Alex begins to associate the violence that he is witnessing with sickness. When the conditioning is over the doctors test Alex by setting up a demonstration. They bring out a a series of people one being a man who abuses Alex and tries to fight him but Alex is unable to even think about fighting back without becoming sick.

The UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS in this experiment is the SHOT OF MEDICINE. The CONDITIONED STIMULUS is the VIOLENCE and the UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE is the NAUSEA.

This is a short video clip from the movie to show the process of classical conditioning that Alex was put through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6CZYUxc0M

Although it seems like the treatment has worked and Alex is unable to commit violence, he is not actually good. He behaves like a good member of society but it is not by moral choice, his goodness is involuntary. Alex's conditioning from the Ludovico technique dehumanises him because he is not able to make choices for himself and this is why the conditioning ultimately fails in the end.

"Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man."

2009-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

A Clockwork Orange is about a fifteen year old boy named Alex who lives in England, based in the not-so-distant future (from when the movie was made, it may be considered the past now). Alex leads his friends, called droogs, in random acts of horrible violence. After getting arrested for murder, Alex is sent to prison. After two years in prison Alex is transferred to an experimental rehabilitation programme called "the Ludovico technique", which promises that the prisoner will be released upon completion of the two-week treatment and, as a result, will not commit any crimes afterwards.

This technique is an extreme example of Classical Conditioning. This technique involved the doctors giving Alex a shot causing him to feel extreme nausea, right before showing him horrific scenes of violence. His emotional response to these images became paired with the horrible sick feeling they injected into him. Thus, violence became the neutral stimulus while the sickness is the unconditioned response. After the experiment is complete the condition response becomes the illness whenever any violence takes place.

You can view this whole scene here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6CZYUxc0M

Never Unconditionally Good

2009-10-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Alex’s treatment in Clockwork Orange is undeniably an extreme example of Classical Conditioning. Alex associated evil things such as violence with the nausea he experienced during the experiment. The unconditioned stimulus, or the stimulus that causes a specific response, is the shot of serum. The serum causes the nausea, which is the unconditioned response, or an unlearned reaction to the unconditioned stimulus. Alex will later associate this intense nausea with the neutral stimulus, violence. In other words the serum makes Alex extremely sick while he watches the videos and he learns to associate those feelings with what he sees on the screen, i.e. violence. The process is seen below.

Does the fact that he no longer does bad things due to his nausea make him good?

The chaplain warned him that the treatment does not make a man good. Goodness is a choice and this treatment prevents the subject from making such choices on his own. Alex was changed by the treatment. He was no longer capable of being violent but it did not take away the initial urge. SO was the treatment a success? Well it may have made him incapable of being a menace to the society but in turn it robbed him of his ability to choose right from wrong on his own. Even though the treatment was effective I do not believe it was successful.

A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick

2009-10-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

A Clockwork Orange was based on a book written by Anthony Burgess in 1962. The movie follows a young sociopath, Alex DeLarge, a delinquent teenager who is convicted of murder and sent to prison. He is then chosen to participate in reform treatment at the Ludavico facilities. The doctors put Alex through a form of classical conditioning.

As part of his treatment, a shot is administered to Alex right before he is put in a straight jacket and forced to watch disturbing violent scenes. This shot, used as an unconditioned stimulus, makes Alex feel unbearably sick. The sickness that he feels is an unconditioned response and in this case, violence is the neutral stimulus. Through this extensive experiment, Alex is conditioned to associate the sickness caused by the shot with violence. Alex is now unable to comit any violent act, and violence becomes the conditioned response.

After the doctors demonstrate that the experiment has been administered with a successful response, Alex is released from prison. However, the priest argues that Alex now ceases to be a creature as he has been stripped of any sort of choice.

In the end of the movie, when Alex is assaulted and tortured by one of his former victims, the minister of the interior apologizes for putting him through the treatment. Alex is bribed with a government job in which he will recieve steady pay for a little amount of work, if he does not blame the government to the press.

To watch the trailer for this movie, follow the link provided below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n2NXuQ5ako

Clockwork Orange: An EYE OPENING Movie

2009-10-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

"You needn't take it any further, sir. You've proved to me that all this ultraviolence and killing is wrong, wrong, and terribly wrong. I've learned me lesson, sir. I've seen now what I've never seen before. I'm cured! Praise God!" -Alex in “Clockwork Orange”

The quote above is from “Clockwork Orange”, a movie about a boy, Alex, who goes to jail for murder and is then chosen to be transferred to a medical facility where he undergoes a psychological experiment. This experiment uses classical conditioning to train his mind to be physically ill when violence is seen. To do this, Alex was injected with a “secret serum” and then taken to a theatre room to watch clips of horrific images. While watching these images, the serum made him feel physically ill. By feeling physically ill during the clips, experimenters thought he would alter his acceptance of violence.

My first initial reaction to this movie was how disturbing it is to be subjected to torture! I almost see myself in the main character’s shoes, and it’s painful to see someone put through something so evil regardless of the crime. However, if the experiment works and successfully trains someone like Alex to live a life without violence and possibly save people’s lives, it’s probably worth it. Like the quote stated above, whether he meant it then or not, he eventually does feel that “ultraviolence” is wrong. The classical conditioning experiment, however disturbing it was, worked.

To understand the term of "classical conditioning" better, the diagram below may help:

Clockwork Orange: A Little More Extreme Than Pavlov

2009-10-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Classical Conditioning, a concept made famous by Pavlov's experiments with dogs' anticipation of food, is demonstrated at an extreme of its possibilities in the movie A Clockwork Orange. The protagonist of the movie, a young teen named Alex, is convicted at the age of fourteen for the rape and murder of a woman. Without viewing the whole movie it is a little difficult to judge Alex's personality (in the scenes viewed in class he seems to alternate back and forth between sociopathic tendencies and a genuine interest in being able to be a "good" member of society) so this is an issue I will steer clear of focusing instead on the methods used to "improve" Alex.
Alex is put through classical conditioning in which the shot is the unconditioned stimulus, the sickness the unconditioned response and the violence Alex loves so much is the neutral stimulus. After being put through the experiments Alex is conditioned to associate violence and sickness so now the thought of violence makes him sick. Violence is now the conditioned response. It could be argued that this conditioning may eventually lead to operant conditioning as Alex is continually "punished" by violent decisions which eventually may make him a better person by choice but that would remain to be seen. A Clockwork Orange may be slightly over the top but it is undeniably an exceptional example of classical conditioning.

A Clockwork Orange: Classical Conditioning

2009-10-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

(Click on image to see in full)

The dark, insidious protagonist Alex whose youth jarred with his innate ultra-violent nature was contrasted against the equally oppressive British dystopia in the film, A Clockwork Orange.

Alex from the onset exhibited a genuine lack of guilt and/or remorse for his barbaric crimes throughout the selected film portion, revealing a sociopathic nature. Therefore, he volunteered for the Ludovico Treatment not for reform, but for what he saw as an easy route to evade his long jail sentence. The Ludovico Treatment’s mission was the removal of the “evil” through a fortnight of experiments.

The Prison Chaplain while exhibiting ignorance to the monster inside of Alex, made astute remarks throughout the movie. He stated when “a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.” A person without free will can no longer be a person as the very element that made them human has been stolen away. The narrative of sacrificing the individual for the benefit of society is grotesque, as it leads to the rapid depreciation of human life. The free will of Alex had been excised in the name of “progress.”

The treatment administered to Alex can best be characterized as classical conditioning. Through the nefarious actions of the experimenters, Alex through associative learning had become incapable of carrying out violence.

Specifics shown below:

(Click on image to see in full)

Structure: (King, 2008, 251)

Reacting to Clockwork Orange!

2009-10-11T12:01:00.001-07:00

Based on a book by Anthony Burgess and directed by Stanley Kubrick -- Clockwork Orange is a hard movie to watch!
But, it is also very relevant to understanding 'learning'. Who would have thought it?! But its true. For your blog posts try and focus on what can we as psychologists learn from the movie about principles of classical and operant conditioning?
Most important though -- make sure you have fun as you create your blog posts.