Behaviorism | Shock Therapy

Written in 2017. Behaviorism Shock Therapy:

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), or shock treatment, is a method of conditioning one’s behavior. The main purpose of shock treatment is to alleviate a patient’s mental illness. There are serious side effects that can potentially occur from ECT. For instance, the psychiatric facilities that induce shock therapy treatments stated their patients have experienced seizures, depression, chronic brain damage, and have led patients to commit suicide. In 1947, a man, named Patient X, from New York was depressed and tried to kill himself. He wakes up in the hospital “bewildered that he could have attempted to end his life” (Shorter & Healy 1). The man is transferred to Hillside Hospital, a private psychiatric facility that induces shock treatments to help patients who are mentally ill. 

Patient X is depressed and threatens to attempt to kill himself again, but the facility, in the second day, responds by beginning electroconvulsive therapy. “Patient X has eleven separate treatments, and during their course, eight grand mal seizures are induced.” (Shorter et. al 2). Patient X, lost his depression, his suicidal thoughts and the treatment made him more optimistic than ever before. “ECT seems to have cured his debilitating depressive illness and given him back his life.” (Shorter et. al 3) ECT restored his life and healed his mental illness. Despite his chronic mental illness being treated, there were significant side effects Patient X was experiencing after his treatment. Patient X, after the treatment, was experiencing loss of vision, memory, and had random muscle spasms occurrences throughout the day and at night. Although ECT conditioned his behavior to remove suicidal thoughts and his mental illness, there can be negative consequences from trying to force conditional behavioral patterns into one’s behavior. 

According to Skinner (1974), behaviorism is “not the science of human behavior, it is the philosophy of that science” (208).  ETC is an effective method of conditioning an individual’s behavior. The theory of behaviorism is an effective way of understanding how both the attendant and patient’s behavior is conditioned in the treatment process of shock therapy. Behaviorism will analyze the effectiveness of how behavior patterns are altered with the attendant and patient in shock therapy. It is easily understood that the patient, the individual receiving shock therapy, will alter in behavior patterns. Behaviorism will also analyze how the attendant, the one performing shock therapy, behavior has been altered and conditioned as well. I will also research the desired response the attendant seeks while performing shock therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy not only conditions a patient’s behavior, but is also an authoritative method of discipline with one’s behavior. Therefore, Electro-Shock Therapy conditions and alters the behavior patterns of both the patient and the attendant.

In 1938, the first Attendant to perform Electroconvulsive therapy was Ugo Cerletti, Lucio Bini, and their team. Cerletti’s behavior was altered from his discovery of the benefits of shock therapy. Cerletti and his assistant Lucio Bini, performed shock therapy on a patient named Enrico X. “Cerletti and his team administered ECT in the Rome university psychiatric clinic” (Shorter et. al 38). Enrico X was a man in his forties who suffered mental health issues. For instance, he tried to board various trains without a ticket. “The subject does not appear to be in full possession of his mental faculties, the conveyance slip noted” (Shorter et. al 31). He was tested and confirmed having schizophrenia and “showed little emotion and would mumble continuously” (Shorter et. al 31). Enrico’s mental health issues qualified him to be the first patient to have his behavior conditioned through the method of electro-shock therapy. 

Enrico X was strapped and laid supinely on the bed. On April 11^th, 1938, at 11;15am, Cerletti applied the first dose of electricity, at “80 volts of electricity for a quarter-second” (Shorter et. al 38). Ten minutes later they induced 80 volts of electricity for a half-second. The patient did not lose consciousness, and attendants were indecisive whether to perform another dose of electricity. Enrico responded: “Attention! Another time is murderous” (Shorter et. al 42). Enrico’s response clearly supports how inflicting electricity causes harm and conditions the behavior of the patient. Attendants, besides Ugo Cerlatti, wanted to end the treatment, but Bini and Cerletti convinced attendants to push for one more dose of 80 volts for three-quarters of a second. At the third dose, Enrico had a seizure and was momentarily unable to breath and speak.  The electro treatment was a failure, but the next day Cerlatti pursued his fellow attendants to give Enrico X a higher dose of electricity for a longer period of time. 

Ninety-two volts of electricity for half a second transferred across Enrico’s brain and he immediately responded with “general tonic spasm, 105 seconds of non-breathing, and became unconscious” (Shorter et. al 42). Ten minutes later Enrico X woke up and stated he remembered nothing. After ten more treatments of Electro-Shock therapy, all induced by Ugo Cerlatti and Lucio Bini, Enrico X was “discharged from the clinic, and was calm and well oriented and Enrico’s schizophrenic mutterings were replaced by normal speech” (Shorter et. al 32). Enrico’s brain was conditioned to improve his overall health. After his behavior was conditioned, Enrico had full awareness of his former hallucinations and understood his behavior was altered from the methods from Electro-shock therapy. Although it is clear Enrico’s behavior was altered from electro-shock therapy, Ugo Cerlatti, the attendant who induced shock therapy, behavior was altered as well.      

Prior to Cerlatti performing shock-therapy on his patient Enrico X, he was performing shock-therapy on pigs and dogs. In many of these experiments, Cerlatti killed the animals he tested. Cerlatti’s interest into the method and process of shock-therapy was from watching Pigs induce shock-therapy before they were slaughtered. Cerlatti’s behavior was altered once he began inducing shock-therapy on animals and on his patient Enrico X. For instance, Cerlatti pursued to transmit electricity through Enrico, despite Enrico pleading him to stop. Although Cerlatti performed many experiments on inflicting electricity through animals, he continued performing and experimenting with shock therapy without recognizing the dangers in how his behavior was changing. Cerlatti was so interested in his line of research that he was conditioned to inflict harm on animals to further understand the process of Electroconvulsive shock therapy. The body that he is inducing shock-therapy upon, is an object of experiment to Cerlatti. 

According to Foucault (1977) the transition of coercion over a body, is having control of the mechanism of the body itself. “of exercising upon it a subtle coercion, of obtaining holds upon it at the level of the mechanism itself—movements, gestures, attitudes, rapidity: is an infinitesimal power over the active body” (137). Cerlatti controls all aspects of the patient’s body, whether animal or human, in his experiments. Cerlatti’s behavior has conditioned him toward identifying his patients as objects of research rather than actual beings of life. Although Cerlatti is seeking to discover a new method of healing mental illness, this process is altering his behavior toward pursing it in an authoritative manner; even if the patient is enduring significant amounts of pain. The death of Cerlatti’s patients is not bothersome to Cerlatti, because he views the patient is the process of learning the effects of shock-therapy. The more obedient the subject is for Cerlatti, the better for his experiments. Foucault (1977) advocates that coercion is a form of conditioning behavior. “What was then being formed was a policy of coercions that act upon the body, a calculated manipulation of its elements, its gestures, its behavior” (138). Cerlatti is conditioned to act authoritative toward manipulating his subjects and to also have control of the mechanisms of his subjects. Although Cerlatti is simply researching the possibility of Shock Therapy being a form of curing mental illness, the patients who are under his control are conditioning Cerlatti’s behavior toward a stimulate response of not feeling empathy for inflicting electricity through his patients or his “objects”.  

In the novel Regeneration, written by Pat Barker, he presents two characters: Dr. W.H.R. Rivers and Dr. Lewis Yelland. Both characters are extremely different from one another. For instance, Dr. W.H.R. Rivers shows sympathy for his patients and understands what they are enduring. An example of Rivers character is on chapter 13 when a nurse informs him that Anderson is screaming. Rivers rushes to Anderson’s room to make sure he isn’t injured. “Rivers hurried downstairs to Anderson’s room. He found Anderson huddled in a prone position, teeth chattering… Rivers fetched his dressing gown and threw it across to him… Slowly Anderson relaxed” (Barker 136). Rivers behavior is sympathetic. Although Anderson isn’t one of River’s patients, throughout the novel Rivers expresses empathy for other people (ex: Sassoon). Rivers cares for his patients and treats them with care. On the other hand, Barker makes Dr. Yealland the opposite of everything Dr. Rivers represents in his novel. 

Dr. Yealland is a stoic character who seems to not have any emotional connection with his patients or with Dr. Rivers. Dr. Yealland is imitating to Dr. Rivers. “He stared so intently that you felt your skull had become transparent” (Barker 224). Dr. Rivers constantly questioned Dr. Yealland’s behavior. “If Yealland had appeared authoritative before, it was nothing compared with the almost God-like tone he now assumed. The patient was looking distinctly alarmed” (Barker 226). The imitation and tone of Dr. Yealland is a developed behavioral pattern. This authoritative behavior is represented with the way he behaves with Callen; his patient. He refuses to listen to Callen when Callen asks if the therapy “will hurt”. Yealland responds: “I realize you did not intend to ask that question so I will overlook it.” (Barker 226). This attitude and behavior from Yealland supports how his behavior is altered from performing Electro-shock therapy. Dr. Rivers was surprised with Yealland, because Rivers empathizes and tries to discover ways to understand how he can heal his patients, through conversation rather than by discipline and control. Dr. Yealland’s behavior is authoritative and demanding. Yealland prefers inflicting electro-shock therapy on his patients; with no other attendants or audience with him. “I normally do treatments alone… The last thing these patients need is a sympathetic audience” (Barker 228). This statement by Yealland supports how Yealland’s behavior, from electro-shock therapy, has been altered to act arrogant, controlling, and disciplinary. 

Rivers observation of Yealland performing shock therapy provides us an idea of how Yealland’s dark behavior was developed through his method of Electroconvulsive therapy. “Yealland had locked himself in as well as the patient” (Barker 229). Yealland’s stimulate response is he wants to feel alone with the patient. Yealland locking himself with Callen is a form of disciplinary behavior; that is constantly repeated. Yealland’s disciplinary behavior, and performance of shock-therapy, relates with Foucault’s (1977) theory on the arts of distribution of discipline and docile bodies. “Discipline proceeds from the distribution of individuals in space. To achieve this end, it employs several techniques. First, Discipline sometimes requires enclosure, the specification of a place heterogeneous to all others and closed in upon itself” (Foucault 141). Foucault argues enclosing the subject in a room or building, is one of the first steps to controlling a subject. Yealland enclosing himself and the subject in the room aligns with Foucault’s theory of how discipline functions and distributes itself within the environment or setting people are in. Although Yealland is enclosing himself with the patient, it is a disciplinary behavior pattern that is repeated to satisfy Dr. Yealland’s behavioral response of behaving authoritatively and having disciplinary control of his patients. 

Once Yealland locked the room his behavior and attitude became more authoritative than ever before. As Yealland is preparing Callen for shock therapy he states: “You must behave as becomes the hero I expect you to be… A man who has been in so many battles should have better control of himself. He fastened the straps round Callan’s wrists and feet.” (Barker 230). It is clear, Yealland is exerting his control over Callan. This form of behavior, by Dr. Yealland, is frightening to Callan. “Callan was white and shaking… he could no more scream than he could speak.” (Barker 230). Dr. Yealland’s room is a setting of ultimate power. Callans fear of Dr. Yealland supports how Yealland’s behavior is altered toward a greediness of power and control. Callen’s body is forced to be disciplined and controlled by Dr. Yealland’s behavior. Yealland controls Callens motor functions. Dr. Yealland’s behavior and preparation for performing his method of electro-shock therapy is also a method of gaining power. 

In Foucault’s (1980) reading, Power & Knowledge, he describes how power is conceptualized through love and desire “The exercise of power tends to be conceptualized today in terms of love (of the master) or desire (of the masses for fascism)” (138). Dr. Yealland behavior is subjected towards power and attaining discipline from Callan. He is a master of Callen, and Callen’s “subjectivation” (construction of the individual subject) is controlled by Dr, Yealland. “One single formula of power comes to be applied to all forms of society and all levels of subjection. Treating power as the instance of negation one is led to double subjectivisation.” (Foucault 1980, 140). Dr. Yealland has complete power and Callan has none. In fact, Dr. Yealland has such ultimate power over Callan, he controls Callan’s functions and the power to condition Callan’s behavior (double subjectivisation). The way Dr. Yealland exercises his power, is from his behavior of seeking the repeated response of authority and control over his patients. When Dr. Yealland exercises his power, it places Callan, the subject, into a state of having no control. “In the aspect of its exercise, power is conceived as a sort of great absolute Subject which pronounces the interdict (whether this subject is real or imaginary)” (Foucault 1980, 140). Dr. Yealland’s power over Callan has prohibited Callan toward avoiding the behavior of Dr. Yealland and Dr. Yealland’s behavior is altered toward achieving domination and having no empathy of controlling his patients. 

Rivers observation of Yealland’s actions support how Dr. Yealland enjoys his method of healing. For instance, Yealland describes to Callan how he has control of his fate and his control will lead him to being “cured”. Callan’s effort to escape, and unable too, represents the authority and control Dr. Yealland enjoys expressing to Callan. “Callan pushed Yealland aside and ran to the door… Rivers couldn’t bear to go on watching… Yealland said, you will leave this room when you are speaking normally” (Barker 232). This scene and situation is an example of how Yealland behavior consists of pursuing Callan as an object who must be cured until he can exit the room. Yealland losing his patience exemplifies how his behavior patterns have been altered towards curing his patients at all costs. “Yealland appeared to lose patience… This has gone on long enough. I may have to use a stronger current. I do not want to hurt you, but if necessary I must” (Barker 233). Dr. Yealland is unaware of the pain Callan is enduring from his method of therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy has conditioned Dr. Yealland’s behavior towards healing Callan’s mental illness. He is willing to pursue his method of healing to extreme matters, but Dr. Yealland conditioned behavior has no sympathy for Callan. His behavior is conditioned to believe that once Callan is “cured” Callan will understand why Yealland’s shock-therapy cured him. When Yealland completes his cure of Callan, what Yealland does further supports how Yealland’s behavior is conditioned.

Yealland asks whether he is pleased with the results. “Are you not pleased to be cured? Yealland asked. Callan smiled. I do not like your smile, sit down. Callan smiled and the key electrode was applied to the side of his mouth. He no longer smiled…” (Barker 233). For Yealland to justify and accept his behavioral actions, he must have his patient appreciate what he did for them. “Nothing else? Yealland asked, A fractional hesitation. Then Callan realized what was required and came smartly to the salute. Thank you sir” (Barker 233). This assertion made by Callan, allows Dr. Yealland to justify his own behavior. This salute by Callan is a form of docility and Dr. Yealland’s behavior is not only justified, but also conditioned that his method of healing is not harmful because the patient expresses appreciation after the healing process is complete. Although Dr. Yealland is a fictional character, Barker’s character development of Dr. Yealland, is an example of how the attendants’ behavior can be altered and conditioned in authoritative dimensions. 

Dr. Yealland and Cerlatti, the attendants, behaviors are similar. For instance, both Cerlatti and Dr. Yealland induced electro-shock therapy even when their patients agonized for them to stop. Barker doesn’t provide many details on Dr. Yealland’s past, but for Cerlatti, his experiments consisted of killing animals. These experiments conditioned Cerlatti’s behavior because he had no sympathy or behavioral reaction when performing shock-therapy upon either animals or Enrico X. Similar to Dr. Yealland, Cerlatti justified his conditional behavior as a method of curing and healing patients. “Cerletti distorted the record a bit, and in their published counts they conflated the treatments of April 11 and April 20 to sound as though Enrico had received two failed shocks and then a triumphantly successful one in the first day of treatment” (Shorter et.al 43). This was Cerletti’s first time testing and performing Shock-Therapy on a human being, therefore, Cerletti’s conditional behavior is not as dramatically altered as Dr. Yealland’s behavior. Cerletti changed the record to justify that his method was safe, by stating the third treatment process healed Enrico rather than the twelfth one. Cerletti’s behavior certainly played a role in his actions on lying about Enrico’s treatment. Therefore, Cerletti behavior somewhat sympathizes that Electro-shock therapy is a harmful method of healing, but he continues to pursue it with a justified proposition that the method has the potential of not being harmful. Although Cerletti’s behavior isn’t conditioned as Yealland’s, Cerletti’s behavioral patterns are conditioned to not sympathize with his experiments.

Dr. Yealland is indulged in his power. His corruption of controlling his subject is evident with his behavior. Foucault’s theory on power and discipline, align with the behavioral patterns of Yealland. For instance, for power, his relation “of power are interwoven with other kinds of relations for which they play at once a conditioning and a conditioned role…” (Foucault, 1980, 142). Dr. Yealland is conditioned to believe his role is essentially God. His behavior is God-like in the manner of how he controls Callan. He controls all Callans movements, thoughts, and actions. Dr. Yealland’s God-like behavior pursues him to treat Callan as an object. Foucault (1977), in his chapter Docile Bodies, he discusses the body-object articulation. “Discipline defines each of the relations that the body must have with the object that it manipulates. Between them, it outlines a meticulous meshing” (Foucault, 1977, 152-153). Dr. Yealland conditioned behavior has no sympathy or any regard to feeling. He stoic in a form of not feeling pain for others or himself. This behavioral process of Dr. Yealland is correlated with his method of Electro-Shock Therapy. The patients, Enrico X and Callan, and the attendants, Dr. Yealland and Cerletti, are engaged in a system of conditioning the behavioral patterns of one another.