Give or Take a Banana
Is there room for integrity in any space designed for trained response?
You've probably already heard the following story... If not, you are in for a treat!
An experiment is conducted in which five rhesus monkeys were placed in a cage together with a banana hanging high on a rope outside the reach of the monkeys. A step ladder was placed in the cage that would enable the monkeys to reach the banana. Whenever one of the monkeys attempted to climb and reach for the banana, ALL monkeys were sprayed with freezing cold water.
After a few attempts, all the monkeys learned the association between reaching for the banana and the group collective punishment of being sprayed with freezing water. There was no longer need for the water; no monkeys would attempt to reach the banana.
The researcher then replaced one of the five monkeys with a new monkey. The new monkey, not aware of the icy water treatment, tried to reach for the banana. Within a fraction of a second the other four monkeys attacked him again and again, until he no longer tried to reach the banana. One by one, the monkeys who had experienced the original icy water treatment were replaced by a new monkey. With the introduction of each new monkey, the other monkeys would attack him until he quit trying for the banana.
Eventually, the cage was populated by five new monkeys, none who had experienced the icy water treatment. The experimenter then introduced a new monkey to the cage. When this monkey tried to reach for the banana, all five monkeys attacked him.
The story goes that even though none of these monkeys knew about the collective punishment of icy water, somewhat along the way they learned that reaching for the banana is not allowed. They become the guardians of this rule without knowing its purpose.
We can take the story further. Continuing in the same environment, new generations of monkeys may develop a story, which explains why they do what they do. A story which, although it has nothing to do with what actually happened (after all, they don't have a clue), justifies their behavior, at least in their eyes.
Having a somewhat plausible justification would allow them to more readily continue with the same patterns of behavior, undisturbed by their deeply pronounced sense of unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
That brings me to another question:
What is the path to change from within an environment which was designed for trained response?
Reference: Corporate Culture
Here is quite a similar experiment with human monkeys:
Yes, I remember this...... and yes, it's very similar, plus without any punishment involved, which makes the findings even more tragic.. Thanks for adding it.
Then there is the Stanley MIlgram experiment, which is even darker... but that was more on obedience to authority, which is similar, but not the same.
When you are teached from the start that what you'll need most, or love most, is always associated with unpleasant feelings, so as you totally give up with the idea of having it, you'll always be led to see difficulties as the proof that you can't have what you really would love to have. You won't really fight. Just a bit, some time (even some long years..). And you're gonna end up.
Always.
Always.
And always.
Yes, always.
Always.
And always.
You're weak when you're a child, because the environment is much more strong than you (you're just.. a child). You're weak when you're a monkey, because scientists have much power on you.
So a single spray of freezing cold water (or other very subtle stimulus) can prevent you from doing some things. You don't know (are conscious) that you can defend yourself from such little dangers, yet.
Normally, with time... and once you don't believe anymore in the various (and very subtle too...) stories that could have been invented (even by yourself) to justify for not having what you need... you (or monkeys) should realize that you can support the little time when you will be sprayed with cold water, sufficiently to take and eat the banana. Or support the difficulties you will encounter when trying to reach your goal. Reach your needs. Your loves.
The banana hanging to the rope is a picture. You can just look at it. Can't touch it. At least, never totally have it.
Do you find it ok to only love pictures of what you love ?
Stories of what you love ?
The path, is to accept to be sprayed with cold water. To encounter difficulties.
Because difficulties are part of life. And a cage without difficulties isn't life.
Do you want to live ?
(I had written first ("mistake") : leave)
You know you have actually answered the question, right?
Yes, children are weak, esp. if their parents play the authority/obedience card rather than preparing them for the journey, and monkeys are weak too, maybe not in the jungle, but definitely in such a controlled environment.
Breaking out wouldn't even cross their minds, something else has to happen first, and that what you wrote, that is it!
The realization you mentioned is the first step.
In a social environment, communication with others, the spreading of an idea, is the next step (otherwise the social environment has the same effect as the icy water).
And once the monkeys get that banana, either together or by at least allowing the "daring one" to try his/her luck, only then it is time for the next step.
Thank you for answering, Chris!
Very interesting and inspiring post. Thank you
Is this an analogy for the way Steemit currently works?
Giphy
I don't know, is it? :)
It's applicable for lots of things...
Find a way out of the cage?
In a cage one can see the outside (of the cage), mostly anyway.
If it's a self-contained environment, or any kind of environment which is known and familiar (to the monkeys) as "life", as "the only way", what then?
In some way, one monkey must be able to communicate to all of the other monkey's that they are working towards one goal, but this would have to be done in very small increments in order to build trust.
How would the first monkey know or what could move that very first monkey?
Imagined it as one of the new ones who has not yet been socialized and still naturally reaches for the banana. Not sure how this one gets around the others beating him up as he enters the cage?
You tell me!
brutal revolution
After some fail attempts they should build trust and then think about a easy way to get banana.
If they think together, a way must they found.
Very interesting. I would call that the process of how traditions and social conventions emerge. There are a lot of rules that might seem pointless today, but to which people still stick, because they got it taught themselves - while being not sure anymore why they show a certain behavior themselves. Although, in todays society most of these traditions get abolished, may that be in the form of laws or by the cultural coding which increasingly turns to "anything goes".
An example would be homosexuality, certain sexual practices like anal sex and also incest. Today, the most of the possible negative consequences coming from these behaviors are so limited that there seems to be no more need for outlawing them and people don't understand why this has been the case.
200 years ago though, there were no contraceptions, there were no antibiotics and having many children or children at all was essential to survive.
My guess would be that the process is the same as it is in the monkey experiment and that it would take a lot of group effort to remove their new "cultural coding" of "don't touch the banana" again.