The Social-psychological tradition

In Chapter 4:mapping the Territory, there is a section that talks about communication as interpersonal interaction and influence.  It talks about how scholars observe certain behavior in communication and look for cause and effect links to try and predict whether or not that behavior will succeed or fail.  When they are close to finding an answer to the behavior they ask the question, "What can I do to get them to change?"

It made me think about the movie "A Clockwork Orange." The main character, Alex, is a chaotic and relentless harbinger of anarchy in the movie with a love for classical music.  All througout the movie he behaves violently and sadisticly.  His idea of fun is figuring out what to do each night to disturb the peace of law and order.  Until one day he is arrested and captured and sentenced to prison for the crimes he commits.  I forget what happens during that time but he is then entered in a program that will treat his psychological disorders.  The treatment involves forced viewing of violent behavior and disturbing images.  He is strapped to a chair with metal prying apparatus's holding his eyes open.  Much to surprise, Alex cannot stand to watch the images he is seeing as he begs them to stop.  All the while this is taking place, his favorite classical music is playing in the background. He undergoes this treatment several times until finally he is released and demonstrated to an audience.  The treatment's effect had rendered him unable to respond violently to violent behavior as he was slapped and kicked by a random person for the viewing audience.  

I find this movie a good example to demonstrate how an odd solution to a certain behavior characteristic can be applied to reverse it altogether.  In the case of Alex, the scientists and doctors must have observed that his violent nature and psychological profile would only respond to more violence.  Who knew that one of the most violent people would be changed psychologically by some of the same violence he has seen or done by simply viewing it.  But at the cost of his brain being imprinted somehow not to act out in any violent manner whatsoever.  Imagine what that would be like.