5 Most Disturbing & Unethical Human Experiments
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into five of the most unethical psychological experiments in history, revealing the dark side of human research. From Dr. Ewen Cameron's brainwashing attempts to cure schizophrenia, to aversion therapy's damaging effects on homosexuals, the 'Monster Study' inducing stuttering in children, the tragic gender reassignment of David Reimer, and the CIA's mind-control program MKULTRA, the narrative uncovers the disastrous impacts of these experiments on individuals and society, raising questions about the limits of scientific inquiry.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and its functions, with experiments playing a crucial role in understanding how the mind works.
- 🚫 Dr. Ewen Cameron conducted unethical experiments in the 1950s and 60s, attempting to 'reprogram' the brain through brainwashing techniques, including 'psychic driving'.
- 🎧 Cameron's most infamous experiment involved strapping patients to beds and playing audio messages for up to 86 days straight, aiming to wipe and replace memories.
- 💸 The CIA took interest in Cameron's work for their mind-altering Project MKULTRA, but eventually deemed his techniques ineffective and cut funding.
- 🏳️🌈 Before 1973, homosexuality was categorized as a mental illness, and 'aversion therapy' was used in an attempt to 'cure' it, causing severe psychological damage to many patients.
- 🔋 Aversion therapy involved associating pain and discomfort with homosexuality through electric shocks and drugs, with one patient even dying from the treatment.
- 🤯 The 'Monster Study' by Dr. Wendell Johnson used orphaned children to test the theory that labeling could induce or worsen stuttering, causing lifelong speech problems.
- 👦🏻👧🏻 David Reimer's case showed the disastrous effects of attempting to change a child's gender from male to female after a botched circumcision, leading to identity struggles and tragic outcomes.
- 💊 Project MKULTRA was an illegal CIA mind-control program that experimented with various techniques, including the use of LSD, often without medical supervision, resulting in deaths and madness.
- 🕊️ Theodore Kaczynski, who later became the Unabomber, was a subject of an MKULTRA sub-project involving stress and humiliation, raising questions about the impact of the experiments on his later life.
- 📚 The script highlights the importance of ethical considerations in psychological research and the devastating consequences of ignoring them.
Q & A
What is the main focus of psychology as described in the script?
-Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and its functions, with a significant emphasis on learning how the mind functions through experiments on test subjects and recording the outcomes.
What was Dr. Ewen Cameron's approach to treating schizophrenia?
-Dr. Ewen Cameron believed that the brain could be reprogrammed by imposing new thought patterns, and he attempted to cure schizophrenia using brainwashing techniques, including 'psychic driving' where patients were made to listen to audio tapes with repetitive messages.
What was the CIA's interest in Dr. Cameron's work, and what was the outcome?
-The CIA was interested in Dr. Cameron's work for their mind-control program, Project MKULTRA. They provided funding but eventually concluded that Cameron's technique was a failure and cut his funding.
What was the purpose of homosexual aversion therapy, and how was it conducted?
-Homosexual aversion therapy aimed to alter the state of mind of individuals identified as homosexual by associating bad sensations with their sexual orientation. It involved shock therapy and the use of drugs to induce nausea and vomiting while showing homosexual imagery.
What was the 'Monster Study' and what were its findings?
-The 'Monster Study' was an experiment conducted by Dr. Wendell Johnson to test his theory that labeling children as stutterers could cause or worsen stuttering. The experiment involved labeling some children as stutterers and subjecting them to negative reinforcement, which led to increased speech problems.
What was the outcome of the 'Raised as a Girl' experiment involving David Reimer?
-The experiment, where David Reimer was raised as a girl named Brenda after a botched circumcision, ultimately failed as Brenda showed strong masculine behaviors and later transitioned back to living as a male named David. The experiment demonstrated the limitations of the 'nurture over nature' theory.
What were the goals of the CIA's Project MKULTRA?
-Project MKULTRA aimed to identify and develop drugs and procedures for use in interrogations and tortures to weaken subjects and elicit false confessions through mind control.
What role did LSD play in the MKULTRA experiments?
-LSD was used in MKULTRA experiments to manipulate the mind state of subjects, often without proper medical supervision, leading to at least two deaths attributed to the experiments.
What was the aftermath of the unethical psychological experiments mentioned in the script?
-The aftermath included psychological damage to the subjects, legal actions such as lawsuits against the CIA, and a deeper understanding of the ethical boundaries in psychological research.
What are some of the ethical considerations that should be taken into account when conducting psychological experiments?
-Ethical considerations include obtaining informed consent, ensuring the safety and well-being of subjects, avoiding harm, and maintaining confidentiality. The experiments should also be designed to minimize distress and have a clear scientific purpose.
Outlines
🧠 Dr. Ewen Cameron's Brainwashing Experiments
Dr. Ewen Cameron's unethical experiments aimed to 'cure' schizophrenia through brainwashing techniques. In the 1950s and 60s, he conducted 'psychic driving' at the Allen Memorial Institute in Montreal, where patients were subjected to continuous audio messages for up to 86 days, often while in a drug-induced coma, to erase and reprogram their memories. The CIA took interest in his methods for Project MKULTRA but later deemed them a failure. Cameron's patients received a settlement for the severe and lasting effects of his experiments, which were both inhumane and ineffective.
🏥 Homosexual Aversion Therapy and its Aftermath
Before 1973, homosexuality was considered a mental illness, and aversion therapy was used in an attempt to 'cure' it. This involved associating pain or discomfort with homosexual stimuli, such as through electric shocks and nausea-inducing drugs, as conducted by Dr. Robert Card. The therapy was not only ineffective but also caused severe psychological damage, with some patients committing suicide. The practice continued until the late 1900s, leaving a legacy of mental health issues and suicides among its victims.
👶 The 'Monster Study' and its Lasting Impact
In the 1930s, Dr. Wendell Johnson's 'Monster Study' used orphaned children to test his theory that stuttering could be induced by labeling. The experiment, which divided children into 'normal speakers' and 'stutterers', led to long-term psychological and speech issues for those mislabeled. The experiment's harmful effects were only revealed 60 years later, and the subjects were awarded compensation for the lifelong scars they endured.
🚼 The Tragic Case of David Reimer and Gender Reassignment
David Reimer's case highlights the disastrous consequences of a botched circumcision and subsequent gender reassignment at the hands of Dr. John Money. Money's theory of 'nuture over nature' led to David being raised as a girl, despite his biological sex. This decision caused significant psychological distress, leading David to revert to his biological gender in his teens. The experiment not only failed but also contributed to a series of personal tragedies, including David's eventual suicide.
💊 CIA's MKULTRA: The Dark Side of Mind Control
Project MKULTRA was a CIA mind-control program that sought to develop interrogation and torture techniques through drugs and psychological manipulation. The program involved a range of unethical practices, including the use of LSD on unwitting subjects, which led to deaths and long-term psychological harm. Notorious cases, such as that of the Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, who was a subject of a related experiment, raise questions about the program's impact on individuals' lives and the ethical boundaries of research.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Psychology
💡Experiments
💡Ethics
💡Brainwashing
💡Aversion Therapy
💡Homosexuality
💡MKULTRA
💡Stuttering
💡Nurture vs. Nature
💡Gender Identity
💡Unethical
Highlights
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and its functions, with experiments playing a crucial role in understanding mental processes.
Dr. Ewen Cameron's unethical experiments aimed to 'reprogram' the brain through brainwashing techniques to cure schizophrenia.
Cameron's 'psychic driving' involved forcing patients to listen to audio tapes for extended periods, inducing a coma-like state with drugs.
The CIA showed interest in Cameron's work for their mind-altering Project MKULTRA and provided funding before deeming it a failure.
Former patients of Cameron's experiments received a settlement for the severe and lasting effects on their mental health.
Homosexuality was once considered a mental illness, leading to involuntary commitment and aversion therapy for 'treatment'.
Aversion therapy used electric shocks and drugs to associate pain with homosexuality, causing severe psychological damage.
Dr. Wendell Johnson's 'Monster Study' tested the impact of labeling on speech impediments, using orphaned children as subjects.
The 'Monster Study' led to long-term psychological and speech issues for the children falsely labeled as stutterers.
David Reimer's case involved a botched circumcision leading to a sex change experiment based on the nurture over nature theory.
Dr. John Money's experiment with David Reimer resulted in a tragic life story, ultimately reinforcing the importance of biological factors in gender identity.
MKULTRA was a CIA mind-control program involving illegal activities and unethical experiments on both willing and unwilling subjects.
The MKULTRA program used drugs like LSD in an attempt to manipulate and control individuals' minds for interrogation purposes.
Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, was a subject of MKULTRA experiments, raising questions about the impact of these tests on his later criminal activities.
MKULTRA records were destroyed in 1973, leaving a legacy of unethical practices and unknown consequences.
These psychological experiments highlight the importance of ethical considerations in scientific research and the potential for lasting harm.
Transcripts
psychology is the scientific study of
the mind and its functions and a very
important part of learning how exactly
the mind functions is to perform
experiments on test subjects and then
record the outcomes many experiments go
to plan and allow humans to further our
knowledge of the mind but then there are
those that do not go to plan and are
often kept from the public here we have
five cases that were not only incredibly
unethical but also had disastrous
effects on those involved this first
start with dr. Ewen Cameron's belief
that the brain could be reprogrammed by
imposing new thought patterns into the
mind
dr. Cameron was certain he could cure
schizophrenia by using brainwashing
techniques and in the 1950s and 60s
hundreds of people some of which didn't
even have schizophrenia became his
unwitting test subjects Cameron's
experiments varied but his most famous
is what is called psychic driving in
which many patients who checked into the
Allen Memorial Institute in Montreal
would be made to listen to audio tapes
that would recite words said to help
cure them of their illnesses it's
believed they would be strapped into
beds and then these messages would be
played through headphones for up to 86
days straight and to top things off most
of the patients were given drugs to
induce a coma like state Cameron believe
that psychic driving would wipe clean
the unsuspected patient's memories and
implant other memories on a clean slate
the only report of this actually working
was one time that Cameron made patients
listen to the message when you see a
piece of paper you want to pick it up he
then drove them to a local gymnasium
where there would be a piece of paper
lying in the middle of the floor Cameron
reported that many of them spontaneously
walked over to pick the piece of paper
up when news of what Cameron was doing
reached the CIA they became interested
as they too were looking into ways of
altering one's mindset for their
famously known project MKULTRA
apparently the CIA started channeling
Cameron money but eventually concluded
that that Cameron's technique was a
failure and cut his funding shortly
after this Cameron admitted that his
experiment had been a tenured trip down
the wrong road and in the late 1970s a
group of Cameron's former patients filed
a lawsuit against the CIA for his
support in Cameron's work they were
awarded seven hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in an out-of-court settlement in
1988 we will never know the full
extent of what went on during these
tests because many documents relating to
the case simply no longer exist or are
classified for many years to come and
since the documents that no longer exist
have suspiciously been misplaced people
believe that Cameron's experiments were
much more worse than we think
homosexual aversion therapy before 1973
homosexuality was frequently categorized
as a mental illness those thought to be
gay were involuntary committed to
psychiatric facilities by their families
where they would undergo experiments in
hope that it would prevent or eliminate
their homosexual behavior
now several different psychological
experiments were done on homosexuals
over the years and all would be
considered awful but aversion therapy is
considered the most unethical and most
documented of testing aversion therapy
is simple you're basically attempting to
alter one state of mind by associating a
bad sensation with whatever is trying to
be cured it's used as an attempt to cure
homosexuality dates back to 1935 but it
became most popular in the 1950s and 60s
where hundreds of homosexuals almost all
men in Britain the US and many other
countries were subjected to aversion
therapy dr. Robert Card of Brigham Young
University conducted shock aversion
therapy by attaching electrodes to gay
patients genitals
they were then shown gay pornography and
as this was being played the patients
were injected with drugs and zapped by
electric shocks the shocks and drugs
would then stop and the homosexual
imagery would be replaced by
heterosexual porn during which time the
patient would not be abused the worst
part is that the drugs that were given
would cause nausea and induce vomiting
this and the electric shocks was
believed to make the patient's mind
associate pain and discomfort with
homosexuality but rather than so-called
curing them it called psychological
damage to many of the patients with at
least one man dying from the treatment
he received after falling into a coma
another brutal study took place in 1963
a doctor reported a successful adoption
from gay to bisexual by forcing a
patient to stand in a nine foot square
room that had an electrical grid on the
floor when the gay patient was shown
slides of naked men a current of
electricity would pass through his bare
feet now whether or not this
successfully turned him from gay to
bisexual is highly debated aversion
therapy took place
of research universities right up to the
late 1900s and mental illness and
suicide have all been attributed to
those unfortunate victims of such an
experiment
the monster study in the 1930s it was
believed that human stuttering was
caused by genetics but dr. Wendell
Johnson a speech pathologist from the
University of Iowa disagreed he thought
that the labeling of children as
stutterers could actually make them
worse and in some cases cause normal
children to start stuttering to try and
prove this he conducted an experiment
that was led by one of his graduate
students Mary Tudor it was named the
monster study by some of dr. Johnson's
peers as they were mortified he would
use innocent orphaned children as test
subjects for his theory 22 young orphans
were recruited to participate in the
sixth month long experiment they were
divided into two groups the first were
labeled normal speakers and the second
were labeled stutterers crucially only
half of the group labeled stutterers did
actually show signs of stuttering during
the experiment the normal speakers were
given positive encouragement for their
speech but the other group labeled
stutterers were made more self-conscious
about their speech even the six in the
group that did not stutter were still
mocked and told to take extra care not
to repeat words of those six normal
children in the stuttering group five
began developing speech problems of the
five children who had stuttered before
therapy three became progressively worse
in comparison only one of the children
in the group labeled normal had greater
speech after the study realizing the
psychological effect of their experiment
the researchers tried to undo the damage
they had done but to no success those
orphans labeled stutterers had to cope
with the psychological and speech
problems the test seemed to give them
for the rest of their lives and as crazy
as it sounds those involved were not
even told about the test until it was
revealed sixty years later in a
newspaper in august 2007 six of the test
subjects were awarded $925,000 by the
state of iowa for their lifelong
psychological and emotional scars caused
by the experiment raised a girl born a
boy this experiment was truly horrendous
and his outcome was disastrous it's the
case of David rhymer born as a non
identical twin boy in 1965 david rhymer
and his twin brother brian were both
healthy babies
the age of eight months though both of
them each had a minor medical problem
involving their penises a doctor decided
to treat the problem with circumcision
but unfortunately the doctor botched the
circumcision on David by using an
inappropriate method and accidentally
burn off virtually all of David's penis
when David's parents saw psychologist
and sexologist John money on television
they decided to visit him to explore
what options there were for poor David
John saw David as a perfect candidate
for his nurture and not nature study and
suggested that David should have a sex
change dr. money believed that there was
a window of opportunity for surgery a
gender gate he called it which lasted up
to the age of two during that period he
said that if the parent chose the sex of
the child and brought it up accordingly
this would determine the child's gender
his parents first disagreed but were
later convinced and surely after David
had a rudimentary vagina constructed was
given hormonal supplements and was to be
raised as a girl from now on his new
name was Brenda dr. money published
Brenda's case when she was five I assume
became a sensation
it seemed that his nurture and not
nature theory was correct but whilst
money was boasting of his supposedly
incredible experiment back in Canada
where the rhymers were living things
were proving that his theory was far
from correct Brenda was showing strong
masculine behaviors she enjoyed running
fighting climbing and did not enjoy
playing with dolls she struggled to
connect with friends and became
incredibly lonely a young age she also
hated going to visit dr. money and you
can see why during the visits to him
money would try everything in his power
to convince Brenda that he was a girl he
desperately tried to persuade her to
have a vagina constructed even showing
her graphic photos of a woman giving
birth when Brenda was seven years old he
did this in an attempt to get her to
agree to having what he called a baby
hole made even though he knew full well
Brenda would never be able to give birth
he also strongly suggested that she take
more hormone tablets in order to make
her grow breasts when she was 12
although some scientists have said that
dr. money did these things in the best
interest for Brenda he and Brenda's
family could see that she was severely
affected and at the age of 13 Brenda's
family decided to tell him the truth
almost immediately Brenda turned herself
back into a boy and was now David again
he had a new penis reconstructed and
made a lady in it
twenties who he later married but sadly
the story doesn't end there
David's brother Brian was mentally
disturbed by what took place and later
developed schizophrenia
he died possibly of a drug overdose
which is believed to have been a suicide
attempt and David's life was not good
after selling the movie rights to his
story he lost all of the money when a
businessman abscond with his fortune his
marriage also started to fall apart and
when his wife asked him for a short
break David took this badly he returned
to his parents house for a few days
before driving to a supermarket car park
on the 4th of May 2004 where he shot
himself in the head at age 38
David rymus story is incredibly sad and
proves that dr. Moniz experiment was
nothing more than his misguided theory
that nurture could change nature MKULTRA
I mentioned project MKULTRA in the first
case and no psychological experiment
video would be complete without it
MKULTRA was the codename given to an
illegal mind-control program conducted
by the CIA it was believed to have
started in 1953 by the then CIA director
Allen dolls the project was intended to
identify and develop drugs and
procedures that could be used in
interrogations and tortures hopefully
this would help in weakened and false
confessions through mind-control this
was done using a variety of different
techniques that were practiced on
willing and unwilling American citizens
and soldiers one of the experiments was
hypnosis but attempted to plant
subconscious commands in order to force
a subject to do something against their
will there was also the Navy back to
sub-project 54 which involved an attempt
to use mechanical sound waves to erase a
subject brain in order to prepare them
for programming this was considered a
perfect concussion by the CIA the most
famous of MKULTRA experiments was the
use of drugs mainly Alice D that was
used in an attempt to manipulate one's
mind state whilst they were being dosed
with the drug when the drugs were first
used on patients there were no medical
personnel on hand to administer the drug
or observe its effects and at least two
deaths has been attributed to these
experiments
despite this the CIA continued their
experimentations and soon the use of LSD
spiraled out of control not only was CIA
workers holding private Alice tea
parties but they were also dosing each
other with drugs in the office Frank
Olson a United States Army biochemist
and biological weapons researcher fell
to his death from a 13th floor hotel
window after receiving a dose of LSD
without his knowledge or consent many
well-known individuals took part in the
MKULTRA testing but the most bizarre
story is that of one participant
Theodore Kaczynski who was 16 when he
signed up to be a subject of a research
program involving academic criticism as
well as receiving criticism Theodore was
also subjected to several weeks of
interrogation for many hours a day the
goal of the experiment was to test the
subjects tolerance to the stress of
humiliation by people who are
intellectually superior Theodore
Kaczynski grew up to become the
Unabomber a nickname he was given after
engaging in a nationwide bombing
campaign against people involved with
modern technology he planted and mailed
numerous homemade bombs ultimately
killing a total of three people and
injuring 23 others Theodore went on to
list his awards in life as eight life
sentences for the lives he took and he's
currently held in a supermax prison in
Colorado whether or not his experience
as a test subject for MKULTRA caused his
murderous future will forever remain a
mystery the codename MKULTRA soon turned
into MK search but surely after all
official accounts were supposedly ended
in 1972 and not surprisingly most of the
records of all these activities were
destroyed in 1973 with the deaths the
torment and the sheer madness of project
MKULTRA it was not only incredibly
unethical but the thing that the CIA
were doing such a thing is truly
terrifying so thus five of the most
unethical psychological studies ever
performed I hope you've enjoyed a next
week's video is going to be a part two
of my five extremely creepy mysteries
thanks again and see you next week
[Music]
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