History Main / BehavioralConditioning

When [[PsychologicalHorror Played for Horror]], the horror comes from the trauma of the initial conditioning -- usually some combination of ColdBloodedTorture and [[{{Brainwashed}} Brainwashing]] -- compounded by the resulting inability to trust your own mind. The brainwashed character may go about their life as normal, only to spring into action at the sound of a specific TriggerPhrase.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGarfieldShow'': In "Jon's Night Out", Jon has insomnia, so he, Garfield, and Odie go to an anesthesiologist for a way to help Jon fall asleep. The doctor gives a special remote to Jon, telling him that if he presses the button, he will fall asleep. However, Odie barks right when doctor pushes the button, making Odie's bark into a trigger that can send Jon to sleep and wake him up again. HilarityEnsues.

* Creator/JulesVerne's Phileas Fogg from ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'' is so punctilious that the waitstaff at Fogg's social club prepare his table and set out his lunch before Fogg even walks in the door, certain that he will arrive at the exact minute. Many Londoners remark, "You can set your pocketwatch by Phineas Fogg."

* Creator/JulesVerne's Phineas Fogg from ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'' is so punctilious that the waitstaff at Fogg's social club prepare his table and set out his lunch before Fogg even walks in the door, certain that he will arrive at the exact minute. Many Londoners remark, "You can set your pocketwatch by Phineas Fogg."

When PlayedForDrama, the conditioning is usually an inadvertent result of patterns established in long-term situations or relationships. The character's conditioned response brings up questions or memories about days gone by, and it's the reference to [[HappyFlashback happier times]] or the hint of a DarkAndTroubledPast that elicits an emotional response from the audience. For example, a character might break down crying at the scent of the perfume worn by TheLostLenore, or visibly brace for a punch when raised voices remind them of their AbusiveParents. Or perhaps the drama will come when the brainwashed ManchurianAgent has his programming broken by ThePowerOfLove.

[[caption-width-right:350:Just think of it like... behavioral [[EasterEgg easter eggs]].]]

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%%[[caption-width-right:193:Just think of it like... behavioral [[EasterEgg easter eggs]].]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12381618/1/Paw-lov-s-Theory Paw-lov's Theory]]'', Ladybug tries to condition Chat Noir out of his puns... by kissing him because she thinks her kisses are terrible enough to silence him. As Tikki and Alya directly point out, and as Chat privately notes when she admits to why she's kissing him so often, Marinette very much misunderstood how classical conditional worked when it was taught in class, since she's essentially rewarding him for his puns and is thus conditioning ''herself'' to essentially kiss him on command.

* ''Secret'' secret agent Jason Bourne from ''Film/TheBourneIdentity'' suffers from LaserGuidedAmnesia, yet retains much of his secret agent training. Lampshaded when he wonders to his associate why he memorized the license plates of the cars in a parking lot, and why he analyzed the combat capacity of diner patrons.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12381618/1/Paw-lov-s-Theory Paw-lov's Theory]]'', Ladybug tries to condition Chat Noir out of his puns... by kissing him because she thinks her kisses are terrible enough to silence him. As Tikki and Alya point out, Marinette is essentially ''rewarding'' him for his puns, and ends up conditioning herself to kiss Chat whenever he makes a one.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'': The Vikings are conditioned to look around in a panic whenever "Night Fury!" is called out, [[spoiler:even at the end when all the dragons are peaceful, albeit it now means to get out of the way of the overly-affectionate dragon]].

** Sheldon is on the receiving end when Amy tries to seduce him by creating an association between her and his favorite childhood memories. She serves him [[YourFavorite his favorite food]], spaghetti with cut-up hot dogs and Strawberry Quik, and puts the theme from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' in the background.

* ''Series/{{The Office|US}}''. One of Jim's pranks on Dwight involves offering him an altoid mint every time Jim reboots his computer for several weeks, until finally Dwight hears the reboot noise and puts out his hand for an altoid before Jim can offer one. Jim acts like he has no idea what Dwight is doing.

* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' episode "The Schizoid Man." The Village personnel use aversion therapy involving electric shocks to change Number 6's handedness and mental conditioning to change his food and tobacco product preferences, then wipe his memory. After he realizes what has occurred, Number 6 uses an electrical shock to [[NowDoItAgainBackwards reverse the effect and return himself to normal]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': It turns out that [[AlphaBitch Pacifica Northwest]]'s [[AbusiveParents parents]] have conditioned her by ringing a bell when she steps out of line with their expectations. [[spoiler: In the climax, she manages to ignore the bell in order to save the day.]]

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* [[Comicbook/XMen Forge]] in ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31640-10/TattleTail+My+Copy.htm My Copy]]'' always had a fear of public speaking and used sex both before and after to calm himself down. This eventually caused him (and later his OppositeSexClone) to develop a fetish for being embarrassed due to associating it with sex.

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%%A BavarianFireDrill is possible because of this.

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* In ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12381618/1/Paw-lov-s-Theory Paw-lov's Theory]]'', Ladybug tries to condition Chat Noir out of his puns... by kissing him because she thinks her kisses are terrible enough to silence him. As Tikki and Alya point out, Marinette is essentially ''rewarding'' him for his puns, and ends up conditioning herself to kiss Chat whenever he makes a one.

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** '''Aversion Therapy''' is a technique developed based on the principles of classical conditioning that involves exposing someone to a specific stimulus while simultaneously subjecting them to some form of discomfort (as opposed to punishing them after the fact for performing a behavior.) If the exposure to the stimulus is involuntary and inescapable because the subject has been strapped to a chair with their eyes forced open, that's TheLudovicoTechnique. Another form of this is TheRadishCure, where a person is given too much of some thing that they want to make them not want it anymore.

** '''Aversion Therapy''' is a technique developed based on the principles of classical conditioning that involves exposing someone to a specific stimulus while simultaneously subjecting them to some form of discomfort (as opposed to punishing them after the fact for performing a behavior.) If the exposure to the stimulus is involuntary and inescapable because the subject has been strapped to a chair with their eyes forced open, that's TheLudovicoTechnique.

* ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' is sprinkled with examples across its factions:

** In the novel ''Literature/{{Dune}} Messiah'', the ghola Hayt (a clone of Duncan Idaho) is conditioned by his Tleilaxu creators so he can be controlled by the Tleilaxu dwarf Bijaz.

-->'''Villager''': You know we sent for the great ''Othar Tryggvassen''?
-->'''Krosp''': ...gentleman adven--''(horrified)'' WHAT AM I ''DOING?!''

-->'''Piccolo:''' "Gohan! Hurry up and blast him with all your strength, before he has time to ''DODGE!"''
-->''(Gohan has [[TrainingFromHell unpleasant flashbacks of being hit every time Piccolo yells "DODGE!"]], and cowers instead of attacking Nappa)''
-->'''Piccolo:''' "DAMN YOU, PAVLOV!"