Drawing on
the observations from my previous experimentations, I discovered that each of
senses play a vital role when developing a particular mood within another
person. Following on from these findings I decided to apply this technique when
creating my own experience. Through developing the experience my main focus was
upon correctly generating the desired sensation of rebellion. Rebellion is “an
act or a show of defiance toward an authority or established convention”[1] . Thus
a conscious disregard for the rules or common curtsey was needed in order to successfully
generate this sensation within another.
The
experience I generated consisted of the individual attempting to break into a
combination of two boxes in order to obtain a treat. These two boxes were designed
so in order to open the box, the participant needed to complete a series of
tasks. The Japanese puzzle box was one of the main inspirations for this creation,
as they inspired the development of that rebellious sensation through the use
of false entries. In designing the boxes I aimed to mimic that annoyance that
can come with attempting to complete a frustrating task. It was from building
on from this irritation where I was able to successfully develop a further feeling
of rebellion within my participants.
The boxes I
designed for this experience contained locks, blocking systems, misguiding warning
signs as well as false entries. All of these aspects bring fourth that desired
sense of rebellion. In some cases through tricking the individual, helping
create that sense of intrigue, which in some cases continued to grow into
frustration. Through trailing my experience it was discovered that the rebellious
nature that comes from breaking into my box was instigated by the use of the
warning signs. The conflicting signs, such as “fragile” and “this way up” display
a sense of authority as the individual begins to attempt to break into the box.
It is through breaking this authority where the individual’s rebellious sensations
begin to generate. The colour choice of these signs (red and black) helps
create those feelings of excitement and intensity. The colour "red
enhances our physical reactions because it is seen as a danger cue,"[2] and it is this aspect that helps enforce that
element of rebellion, alongside the danger connotations that are associated with
the colour choice the phrases chosen also enforce this aspect. Such as “this
way up” “fragile” and “do not shake” to name a few.
At the beginning
of the experiment I state to the participant the phrase “don’t break the rules
stated upon the box”. This is an key aspect in the generation of the rebellious
sensation and played a high role in the time it took to begin attempting to
retrieve the candy inside the box. This
statement helped highlight the aspect of obedience to authority, this again was
enforced as I continued to sit down next to the individual and watch them attempt
to get inside the box. This effect is
similar to that discovered in Milgram’s experiment[3]
where he pushes the limits of individuals, to see how far they would go before
they question authority. The results founded show an outstanding sixty-five
percent (65%) of the individuals resisted to question authority, even if the
result was thought to be fatal.[4] Conclusively
through applying Milgram’s results and a series of trail testing, I refrained
from saying anything further than the initial phrase. As if I continuously told
the participant off this usually resulted in the individual being unable to continue
on due to the authority that was being displayed. Furthermore, the experience became
more successful when no reaction was given when the rules were eventually
broken.
Authority then
continues to play a vital role in the manipulation of the participant’s
sensations. As the experience continues to play out an interesting change in
authority occurs. As the participant begins to consistently break the rules,
with no intervention from me it becomes clear that he/she was taking the more
authoritative role. Therefore this then results in the rules becoming more like
hints as to how to open the box up then restrictions. This phenomenon can be
seen in the Stanford prison experiment by Philip Zimbardo[5]. This
experiment consisted of participants playing out a prison scenario, in order to
determine what happens when good people are placed in evil places, and if
humanity wins over evil. The effect that overcomes the guards is similar to
that displayed here, as their asserting their authority over the prisoners, develops
over time, as they begin displaying timid to show that assertive behaviour,
begins to fade, as no one intervenes, the lack of punishment, or judgement upon
them allows this continuation of rule breaking, and pushes it to higher
boundaries. This has also been incorporated into the design of the box, as you venture
deeper into the puzzle the harder it gets, with less rules being displayed and
greater physical force is needed to “break” into the box.
Within today’s
society life’s has been built around rules and enforcers, thus a rebellious
nature can be generated within almost any situation. Rebellion can be enforced
through the different applications of our senses, sight, touch and sound. These
are the main senses that I utilized within the generated experience. Sound was
the first sense, which plays a role with the phrase “do not break any of the
rules”. Sight The next with the use of red and black bold signs clearly painted
upon the box. Touch came next, with the feel of the key fitting into the hidden
lock, it is this simple combination of connotations associated with each of
these aspects which help develop that sensation of rebellion within the
participant.
To
conclude it the results obtains through trail runs of my experience clearly demonstrated
that authority played a vital role with the generation of that rebellious sensation.
Whether it was the initial breaking of the rules or the gaining of authority
over the tester, authority was the main key to generating
[2]
Elliot, Andrew J.; Aarts, Henk. Perception of the color red
enhances the force and velocity of motor output. Emotion,
Vol 11(2), Apr 2011, 445-449
[3]Blass, Thomas; Understanding behaviour in the Milgram
obedience experiment; The role of personality, situations, and their
interactions; Journal of personality and social psychology; Vol60(3), Mar 1991,
398-413
[4]
Blass, Thomas; Understanding behaviour in the Milgram obedience experiment; The
role of personality, situations, and their interactions; Journal of personality
and social psychology; Vol60(3), Mar 1991, 398-413
[5]
Philip Zimbardo; Stanford prison
experiment; Retrieved from ; http://www.naderlibrary.com/stanford.prison.htm
