Conditioning, Homework Assignment
Conditioning
By: Zexion
The subjects in question are a group of thirteen homo sapien sapien individuals of various ages(ranging from roughly 7 to mid 20's all the time of their first introduction into the environment), mostly of the male gender, save for two subjects. All specimen were persons gifted with abilities of mana manipulations of some sort. To narrow down the range of specimen observations, five subjects will be disused in detail as well as the conductor of the experiment. Other subjects may be mentioned when needed, but not delved into.
Myde - male, 5 at age of introduction
Ienzo - male, 7 at age of introduction
Reneal - female, age of introduction unknown(estimated at 10-12)
Aleaus - male, 15 at age of introduction
Isa - male, age of introduction unknown(no estimate)
Ansem - male, experiment initiator
All subjects were exposed to the same kind of treatment from a single figure of authority, Ansem, for varying lengths of time and only recently some subjects were removed from active experimentation and observed in a different environment. Subjects were introduced into an expensive household with plenty of facilities for them to do as they pleased, provided that they had completed all tasks and chores they were asked to do that day, or they successfully completed a test of their abilities. Failure to met the set standards would result in physical, verbal, emotional and in the rare case, sexual abuse, and if subjects had caught Ansem on a day when he was in a good mood, then success might be congratulated with a small bit of praise.
Conditioning within this experiment worked on a more cruel set of rules than in the instance of Pavlov's dog. If it is regarded on a scale of possible reactions to actions, from positive to neutral to negative, it works on a negative to neutral scale, rather than a neutral to positive one as it does in most other cases.
Though this type of Conditioning can be considered very sadistic, it was effective. After very few slip ups, subjects began to learn that if they did what they were told to, as they were told to do it, then they would not receive punishment and be allowed to do as they pleased without further annoyance from Ansem.
Despite this method being very affective very quickly, it is still notable that there is a variation on the amount of time that it took each subject to fully grasp the concept, or accept it as a reality. Subjects introduced to the lifestyle younger, such as Inezo and Myde, were more easily shaped by the Conditioning than older subjects like Reneal or Aleaus. Young as they were, nothing seemed wrong with it because it was what they were used to and there was no exposure to outside sources that told them what was being done to them was wrong. Thus, they picked up the idea of “do what your told and you won't be hurt” much more easily than Reneal and Aleaus who knew that it was wrong.
In addition, the cruel methods of this type of Conditioning did not go without affect on the subjects. Oddly enough, for the most part, development of the mind and body was normal for almost all subjects(save for one or two traits in each). Though, three subjects can be considered out right ruined by the experimentation. Reneal and Isa in particular showed signs of sadism/masochism and were abusive to other test subjects as a means of relieving stress from themselves(in Reneal's case. See Reneal section below), or flaunting superiority(in Isa's case. See Isa section below).
Due to the abuse within the family, often subjects would “pair up” with other, stronger willed or physically stronger, subjects as a means of protection and comfort. As they did not grown up with love from their parental figure, the subjects acted as sources of love for each other for the most part. It seemed that most subjects preferred to stay in smaller groups of two or three, as bonds of trust were stronger, most notable with Aleaus and Ienzo.
These test results are not absolute because of the nature of the organism being tested on. As homo sapiens are self aware, intelligent(for the most part) beings, not driven on instict, all aspects of their personality and mentality would have considered to produce the most likely behavioural pattern. But even then, humans are flexible beings that can and will often surprise even the most calculated people with sudden changes of heart.
Myde
The subject Myde, when first introduced, was a loud and outgoing person, genuinely innocent. Because of his young age, five, the subject reacted to Conditioning incredibly well, learning the concept very easily. Unfortunately, Myde was also quite clumsy and a slacker often earning him punishments for trivial reasons such as dropping a dish while washing up from dinner, or his power not progressing as it should because of lack of practice.
Prolonged exposure to the environment showed that Myde was internally stronger willed than many other subjects, as he put up with the abuse because he did not wish to try to change his slacker and clumsy tenancies in belief that they made him who he was. In addition, he gained an optimistic attitude, likely as a subconscious means of staying sane by knowing he would one day have better living conditions.
When removed from active experimentation, Myde showed little change from his usual self. Though moving from a cruel environment to a friendly one showed no changes, chances are the reverse would not be true. Now that he has had exposure to the idea that abuse is wrong, he would probably stand up for himself against Ansem based on that idea, as it's already been proven he has a strong enough will to put up with whatever abuse would be the consequences.
Ienzo
Also very responsive due to age, this subject, though already a rather quiet person, was forced further into introversion by Conditioning of this method, quite the opposite of the subject Myde despite their similar introduction ages and exposure to the lifestyle.
An obvious reason for this difference, was original disposition. Ienzo believed, to begin with, that people were “scary” because he was a well read individual and well versed in the tragedies of humans, not so much the successes. Ansem's treatment re-enforced that idea to the point where Ienzo became unwilling to trust even other test subjects, in fear that they would treat him much the same. As an intelligent person though, he did not make his fears know, to avoid making himself a target for abuse from other subjects, and did what he was told without question so he could best avoid being hurt. As well, Ienzo actually became an abuser of sorts himself. Because he knew he was more intelligent than other subjects, he would use that to insult others as often as he could as a way of boosting his own confidence.
When removed from Ansem's household, more obvious changes were seen that with Myde. Ienzo became more confident in himself without putting others down because there was nobody putting him down. If re-introduced to the cruel environment though, he would likely revert to how he was previously, as he has found safety in being that way when being exposed to such Conditioning.
Aleaus
An older subject, Aleaus, never fully accepted the idea of harsh Conditioning. Having lived before with fully access to the idea that abuse was wrong, the subject received much punishment for resisting testing and other such offences. As well, realizing he was physically and mentally stronger than a majority of other test subjects, Aleaus seemed to take comfort in his ability to somewhat protect weaker subjects such as Ienzo. Often, Aleaus would step forward to take abuse in the place of Ienzo, or stand up for him, displaying his nonacceptance for this idea of Conditioning.
Aleaus, similar to subject Ienzo, also became more quiet as exposure to the environment continued. The subject observed that it was a good way of seeming stronger to weaker willed subjects if he stay quiet about his feeling, and if he could take the abuse silently, it would last for less time.
Due to the subjects desire to protect the weaker subjects, his behaviour is probably largely based off of who else is around him. During the time Ienzo was removed from experimentation, it is possible that Aleaus became more defiant again, speaking out against Ansem because he no longer had anyone to protect. If the other subject were to return though, or have never left, there would likely be no change, as he would feel bound by duty once more.
Reneal
Much the same as Aleaus, this subject did not like the idea of being abused when they did something wrong. This subject was also very strong willed, though her heart was not as well placed as Aleaus' so he will manifested itself in shear defiance against anything Ansem asked her to do. As a result of this, Reneal was one of the most heavily punished subjects, and often had much pent up anger and rage toward Ansem that she would direct elsewhere. Due to Reneal being one of only two females among the subjects, she was much weaker physically. Thus, she picked one certain younger subject to use a consistent rage relief toy, Myde.
Bitterness has likely been a lasting affect on this subject, as she acts hostile to even fellow test subjects. If ever the chance arose from her to leave the environment, it is likely that even after a long period of time there would be no noticeable change, as it's likely she has many scars that would serve as constant reminders and constant rage inducers.
Isa
This subject was Conditioned by fear, rather than actual punishment. He observed other subjects being punished for not doing thing, or not meeting Ansem's standards, and so Isa came to the conclusion that if he is nicer to Ansem, then it is more likely that he'll be “nicer” as well, or in simple terms, he sucks up to Ansem. As he doesn't mind running around and doing extra things to avoid being abused, it was the perfect situation for him, especially since if he does make a mistake, he's in good enough with Ansem that he would let it slide.
This favouritism from Ansem does make the subject feel more high and might than others, because he considers it an accomplishment to have caught on so quickly, and never been treated badly by the person who was supposed to be caring for all the subjects.
OoC Reference Notes:
Xemnas - Ansem
Xigbar -Braig
Xaldin - Dilan
Lexeaus - Aleaus
Vexen -Even
Zexion - Inezo
Siax - Isa
Axel - Lea
Demyx - Myde
Luxord - Dulor
Marluxia - Lairuma
Larxene - Reneal
Roxas - Sora
Xion - No.1