The premise of the plot is perfectly plausible; further, what could be taken as 'horrifying' is the level of naivety that the average American shows. Experiments of a similar depraved nature have occurred within this country countless times and across the world throughout history countless more. Terrorism is nothing new, nor is it something exclusive to those 'terrible' people living East of the 'civilized' world. Terrorism uses fear to control populations. Fear is a motivating tool that enables the 'terrorist' to modify behaviors to that which are more suited to their purposes. Fear is not some new thing that became prominent only during 9/11, fear has been a mechanism for behavioral modification for as far back as can be remembered in written history.
The science behind it isn't entirely simple, but in a nutshell, when you are exposed an overwhelming stimulus perceived as a threat, your body floods itself with adrenaline and enters what is known as fight or flight mode. The direction a person leans varies a great deal but has to do with the situation, their personality, past and training. The large majority of people in an extreme situation will enter flight mode, in which the brain will flood the system with a large range of hormones whose purpose is to SHUT DOWN the processes of the brain involved in logic, complex thinking and memory. In situations such as those, you are made to utilize your resources in manners that will aide you in escape, not puzzle out the situation. While this is useful in some ways, it lends itself as a double edged sword. You may become completely involved with your survival, but at the same time you become easily manipulated.
Fear can drive even a noble person to doing ghastly things. The Milgram experiments showed this rather handedly with placing someone in the roll of the of tester and the tested. Even in a situation as simple as fearing the results of failing to follow the implicate orders of someone in a position of authority only within the confines of the experiment, 26 out of 40 people complied with giving a potentially lethal dose of electricity and only ONE person would not give a dose above 300w, which is still damaging enough as it is.
You would think that the higher the stress, the more likely someone would stand and refuse. Instead, with increased stressful stimuli (insistence by a figure in authority), you see even less logical actions being taken, with further steps from their own morality. The fear induced by the situation caused others to act out of their own character. This didn't make them bad people, but rather people coursing along the natural inclinations caused by chemical reactions taking place inside their brain. Fear changes behavior in a situation with ease and can be used to condition new ones as well.
Using terroristic tactics to change the normal thoughts and behaviors of an individual has been a tactic of Warfare for ages. To keep a population in check, you strike fear into their hearts by killing innocents, burning down homes, etc. The population stays in check. The same could be said with changing usual behaviors of people. By constantly pumping fear into individuals they screened for ahead of time, they whittle down those who are already more easily redirected to the thought processes they desire and condition the proper responses. The individual who proves he is willing to die for the "greater good" not only is kept, but is reinforced in that thinking- He was willing to die for the greater good, so that allowed him to live. The thought 'dying for a greater cause' is reinforced.
Another trait that appeared to get the test taker through was his need to follow the rules. "I just want to do what they tell me", "Let's follow the rules", etc ... showed that he was compliant and willing to take orders, even in life and death situations. Once again, this desirable attribute was not only identified in this individual, but was reinforced by again, being selected for survival. In that first room alone, they not only identified the traits they were looking for, but also reinforced them.
Many countries before us have realized the application of fear in individual and population control and have utilized them a great deal. Trying to say our country is exempt simply because this is the country we live in is foolish. It does not matter what country you come from, the same kinds of people are attracted to power, therefore, are affected by the power they gain in the same manner. Just because this country has been better at hiding what they are willing to do to even their own people does not make them exempt from the same tactics. It just makes them better at exercising them.
Now, as for the experimenters:
Sociopathic behavior stems from ASPD- Antisocial Personality Disorder. Individuals could range anywhere from being those with lingering traits of Oppositional/Defiance disorders to full blown completely dissocial individuals (those who are truly full blown Sociopaths). Sociopaths are unable to stick out anything long, their attention spans short and their need for gratification immediate. They don't believe in serving a greater good, rather, only in serving themselves. Calling a doctor sociopathic is nonsense- they wouldn't be able to get through the courses before drifting. The doctor was willing to follow the rules of his organization and was willing to wait for however long it took to get the results desired.
Morally Bankrupt? Certainly. Sociopathic? No.
If anything, the behavior is extreme narcissism. The beliefs he holds are absolutely right and should be forced on others, no matter the cost. He himself states it's not easy to kill another, but he feels he must. His idea of not easy is certainly different from that of a normal person- he can justify it is his own mind and pull the trigger. After repetitious uses, it becomes easy to the extent that it is a part of the everyday job. The initial killing may have been a little harder, but once he cloaked himself in his grand reasoning spelling an absolute need to fulfill this grand scheme, than the lives of others are a worthy cause. Narcissism is another cluster B trait and by definition comes with blunted empathy. He can switch it off with relative ease, so long as what he sees as absolutely important will be fulfilled. An extreme narcissist sees themselves akin to god and therefore, able to make decisions like that.
Sociopaths on the other hand, while having high levels of narcissism, come with even further blunted empathy, impulse control, lack of ability to withstand delayed gratification and overt criminal tendencies.
So, in short:
Fear = Behavior modification
Behavior Modification= Control
With the gained control, predisposed personality types can be made to elicit and exact desired response.
In this case, a suicide bomber.
Why use them over a normal bomber? Again, we come back to fear and the control gained from it. With an airplane bomber, you know it's coming, you see it before it hits. With a suicide bomber, you don't know. It could hit when you go shopping. It could hit while you are at home. It could hit anywhere, anytime and can be used to cause less in the way of property destruction and death, but to make larger gains in control.
Think about it.
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