Classical conditioning and aversion therapy are discussed in relation to the film A Clockwork Orange. [1] Alex undergoes an aversion therapy experiment while imprisoned to condition him to associate violence with nausea. [2] He is shown violent videos while given drugs to induce illness, conditioning him. [3] Upon release, the therapy is shown to be effective when Alex tries to act violently again but becomes ill.

1. Classical Conditioning
& Aversion Therapy
In A Clockwork Orange

2. Psychology Basis

3. Classical Conditioning
• Classical Conditioning: Phenomenon in which two stimuli are
associated, thus creating a reflex response.
• Generalization: Process in which an organism responds to stimuli
that are similar to the conditioned stimuli.
• Aversion Therapy: “a type of behavior therapy designed to make
a patient give up an undesirable habit by causing them to
associate it with an unpleasant effect.”

4. Media

5. A Clockwork Orange
• Alex is a member of a violent gang
that regularly reeks havoc on the
dystopian, futuristic city they live
in. This havoc includes rape,
murder and theft.
• Alex and his buddies break into a
home and rape a woman in front of
her husband.
• Alex is betrayed by his buddies and
he is arrested and sent to prison.

6. Connection

7. • While in prison Alex is forced to partake in
aversion therapy that will “cure” his violent
nature.
• During this therapy, Alex is unknowingly given
“vitamins” that induce nausea.
• After he is injected, Alex’s eyes are forced to
stay open while he is shown extremely violent
videos, including footage of genocide and rape.
• During the videos, the “vitamins” take effect
and he becomes violently ill.
• The aversion therapy Alex endured was
attempting to remove an undesirable habit,
Alex’s violent behavior, by associating it with
an unpleasant effect, nausea.
Aversion Therapy

8. Classical Conditioning
• This therapy Alex went through was an example of classical
conditioning.
• Alex was conditioned to associate violence with feeling violently
ill.
• This conditioning was proven effected when Alex is released from
prison and attempts to act violently. He falls over clutching his
stomach in pain.

9. References
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aversion_therapy definition of
aversion therapy