Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, Term Paper

" (Burgess, 1962, 147). Here, Burgess shows the reader that conditioning, which worked but robbed Alex of his basic humanness, failed while the simple act of growing up eventually changed Alex on a much more permanent basis.

Clockwork Orange is full of examples of conditioning, and of behavioral psychology. It is presented in an overall negative light by Burgess, who held the view that conditioning robs man of his ability to choose, and thus robs him of his humanity and free will. While the conditioning concepts did "work" in the book, they worked too well, altering Alex's ability to fight for himself, enjoy music, literature, and even relations with others.In the end, it was the natural process of growth and change that altered Alex, not that of the meddling of psychologists. While this concept may not apply to all aspects of behavioral psychology, there is something to be said for the idea that man is far more than a simple biological reaction to his environment. He is a creature of free will, and it is that free will that makes him human. To remove that will is to remove the basic premise of being human.

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