TheBraveNewNormal General Method Variants Isolation Complete soli-tary confinement Complete isolationSemi-isolation Group isolation Monopolisationof perception52Amnesty International report on torturepotency, it is not surprising that prisoners should respond tocues of this basically socialised nature. Some prisonersbecome victims of the very socialisation process that underordinary circumstances is regarded as a desirable and, indeed,essential aspect of civilised living. A simple example of thiswas noted by Burns in POW studies: the stress of refusing toanswer questions. In everyday situations, it is taken forgranted that questions will bc answered if they are `civilquestions' and, as frequently as not, even if they are 'uncivil'ones. Many US POWs found that the ingrained pattcrn ofcivility made it difficult for them to decline outright toanswer a question. It was not that they could not decline, butmerely that thc refusal required continuous effort which inthe long run they could not sustain.Furthermore, if it becomes clear that the victim is onlysustaining himself by his hatred of his imprisoners, he willsuddenly find himself being well-treated or having hisaggression discussed in `psychotherapy' groups until he ismade to feel guilty about feeling aggressive. When he isreturned to a punishment situation he finds that hisaggressive feelings induce reflex guilt, and so he abandonsthem or turns his aggression either outwardly against hisfellow captives or inwardly, becoming depressed or anxious.These analyses of conditioning techniques used by inter-rogators make it evident that gross acts of torture (such aselectric shock, rape or tearing out fingernails) are situatedwithin a coercive context of which such methods are merelyan extension. The accompanying chart, prepared by Bider-man, is by no means exhaustive of coercive methods, and itdoes not include the excessive physical abuse which manyforms of torture employ; however, it demonstrates theessential character of stress manipulation and may perhaps, byvirtue of its more `benign' content, reveal the intentions andresults of torture with a precision that is almost impossible toachieve when dealing with those massive assaults in whichpain and disorientation are compressed.The victim is trapped in a situation in which thc stressesarc manipulated so as constantly to frustrate this need tobehave in a consistent, learned, personal behaviour patternand in accordance with an esteemed self-image — both ofwhich are necessary for the protection of basic self-identity.Physical isolationDarkness or brightligh tBarren environmentRestricted movementMonotonous foodEffects(Purposes)Deprives victim of all socialsupport of his ability toresistDevelops an intense concernwith selfMakes victim dependent uponinterrogatorFixes attention upon immed•ate predicament; fostersintrospectionEliminates stimuli competingwith those controlled bycaptorFrustrates all actions notconsistent with complianceWeakens mental and physicalability to resistInduceddebilityExhaustionI!ThreatsCultivates anxietyScdespairOccasionalindulgencesProvides positive motivationfor complianceHinders adjustment todeprivationDemonstrating Suggests futility of'omnipotence' resistanceDegradationMakes cost of resistance ap-pear more damaging to selfesteem than capitulationReduces prisoner to 'animallevel' concernsEnforcingtrivialdemandsDevelops habit of complianceSemi-starvationExposureExploitation of woundsInduced illnessSleep deprivationProlonged constraintProlonged interrogationForced writingOverexertionThreats of deathThreats of non-returnThreats of endlessinterrogation Sc isolationThreats against familyVague threatsMysterious changes oftreatmentOccasional favoursFluctuations of inter-rogators' attitudesPromisesRewards for partialcomplianceTantalisingConfrontationPretending co-operation taken for grantedDemonstrating completecontrol over victim'sfatePersonal hygienepreventedFilthy infested surroundingsDemeaning punishmentsInsults and tauntsDenial of privacyForced writingEnforcement of minuterules