The Use of Operant Conditioning in 1984 and the Holy Bible

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In the book, 1984, by George Orwell, the author creates a dark narrative, set in the future, about a dystopian society based on fear through conditioning and reinforcement. Ultimately, this results in a world of hate and dictatorship. Big Brother, being the leader, uses fear as a tactic to keep his society in its rural state and his people loyal to its rules. This technique, although taken to its extreme in the novel, is not a new idea. In fact, it dates all the way back to the bible in which damnation is used as punishment in order to promote faithfulness to God. The use of operant conditioning is a key concept in this book, as well as being utilized in the teachings of God within verses and Biblical stories.

1984 best reflects the behavioral studies of B.F. Skinner for operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is “the behavior is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behavior in the future.” Skinner created an operant chamber, better known as the Skinner Box, which observed how rats responded to this conditioning and how, in relation, it could be applied to humans and not just animals. Skinner discovered that in giving rewards to the rat for pushing a lever on the other side of the box, the rat was encouraged to do it more for the same response. However, when Skinner put an electric shock on the rat when it had pushed down on the lever, he saw that the rat was discouraged to do it again in order to avoid the punishment of being shocked. This concept is what Skinner called “reinforcement”. Reinforcement is considered “any event that strengthens or increases the frequency of a preceding response.” Nevertheless, there are two types of reinforcement: positive an...

... middle of paper ...

... the utopian society, which the Bible exemplifies the religious lifestyle to be, utilizes similar operant conditioning, and the idea that “Big Brother” is always watching.

Works Cited

Boeree, C. George. "B. F. Skinner." My Webspace Files. 1998. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

"Examples of God Personally Killing People - RationalWiki." RationalWiki. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. .

“Jonah (and the Whale) - Story of Old Testament Minor Prophet Who Went to Nineveh." Easy English Bible - with Studies and Commentaries. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-outline/jonah-summary.htm

Myers, David G. "Learning." Psychology. 8th ed. New York: Worth, 2007. 326-29. Print.

NIV. Print

Orwell, George. 1984. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. Print

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