Lecture 8 - Disciplinary power

Question 1

Disciplinary power

Answer 1

Disciplinary power is a form of power that produces obedient and efficient individuals by closely regulating their bodies, actions, and thoughts through detailed observation, correction, and control. Prison as institution for the re-education of criminals.

Question 2

What was disciplinary power the start of

Answer 2

A disciplinary state, Techniques of the prison system move to different fields (schools, hospitals, etc.)

Question 3

Target of disciplinary power

Answer 3

Individual bodies

Question 4

2 Steps of disciplinary power

Answer 4

1. Decomposition
2. Re-composition

Question 5

Decomposition

Answer 5

Breaking up human collectives into individuals, for example individual cells.
Breaking up the human body into individual movements, for example marching practice in the army.

Question 6

Re-composition

Answer 6

Measuring individual performance through examinations. Hierarchize results, normalize judgement for example school curriculum.

Question 7

Effect of decomposition and re-composition

Answer 7

Production of ‘the individual’ as an administrative identity.

Question 8

Operant conditioning

Answer 8

Unlike Pavlov’s classical conditioning (where a stimulus leads to an automatic response), operant conditioning focuses on voluntary behaviors and how they are controlled by outcomes. Behaviors that are followed by rewards are strengthened; those followed by punishments are weakened.

Question 9

Conditioning effect

Answer 9

The conditioning effect is the process by which a person or animal learns to respond in a certain way because of past experiences with stimuli or outcomes.

Question 10

behaviourism

Answer 10

Behaviorism is the scientific study of behavior that explains learning in terms of observable actions and the external stimuli that shape them—without referring to thoughts, feelings, or consciousness.

Question 11

Depth psychology

Answer 11

Depth psychology explores the deeper layers of the human psyche, including dreams, instincts, traumas, and archetypes, to understand human behavior and emotional suffering.

Question 12

Behaviourist criticism of depth psychology

Answer 12

Operant conditioning dissolves the need to delve into the depths of human psychology.

Question 13

The panopticon

Answer 13

The Panopticon is a circular prison design, it allows a single guard to observe all inmates without the inmates ever knowing whether they are being watched. The Panopticon becomes a symbol of how modern societies discipline individuals by making them feel constantly watched—even when they are not.

Question 14

Taylorism

Answer 14

It focuses on improving economic efficiency and labor productivity by analyzing and optimizing workflows. Workers must be turned into standardized and docile resources of labour-power. Applying disciplinary power (Taylorism)

Question 15

Moment of decompostion in taylorism

Answer 15

mass of workers beyond managerial control, individualize workers and blocking direct communication among them. Study of the anatomic physiology of workers’ body, worker as trained gorilla.

Question 16

Moment of re-composition in taylorism

Answer 16

Keeping records of each worker. Hierarchize performance and impose production norms. Strict supervision to induce internalization of the disciplinary gaze.

Question 17

Synopticon

Answer 17

Synopticon is a sociological concept in which a large number of people watch or observe a small number of individuals, typically through mass media, surveillance technologies, or social platforms. For example electronic anklet or amazon scanner.