The Psychology of Torture: Understanding the Unthinkable

Torture is one of the most horrific and inhumane acts that humans can inflict on each other. It violates the basic principles of human dignity, rights, and freedom. It also raises profound ethical, legal, and psychological questions. Why do some people torture others? How does torture affect the victims and the perpetrators? Can torture ever be justified or prevented?

What is torture?

According to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, torture is defined as:

Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

Torture can take many forms, such as physical, psychological, sexual, or medical torture. Some common methods of torture include beating, electric shocks, waterboarding, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, isolation, humiliation, threats, and forced feeding. Torture can also involve the use of drugs, hypnosis, or other techniques to manipulate the victim's mind and emotions.

Why do people torture?

There is no simple or definitive answer to why some people torture others. However, some possible factors that may contribute to the motivation or rationalization of torture are:

• Power and control: Torture can be a way of asserting dominance, authority, or superiority over the victim. It can also be a way of enforcing obedience, compliance, or submission from the victim. Torture can create a sense of fear, helplessness, and dependency in the victim, and a sense of empowerment, satisfaction, and security in the torturer.

• Information and confession: Torture can be a means of extracting information or confession from the victim, either for strategic, legal, or personal purposes. Torture can be used to coerce the victim to reveal secrets, plans, locations, identities, or other valuable information. Torture can also be used to force the victim to admit guilt, responsibility, or allegiance, or to implicate others.

• Punishment and revenge: Torture can be a form of retribution, justice, or vengeance for the torturer. Torture can be used to inflict pain, suffering, or harm on the victim, either for a real or perceived wrongdoing, or for belonging to a certain group, ideology, or identity. Torture can also be used to deter, prevent, or discourage the victim or others from committing or repeating certain acts.

• Ideology and propaganda: Torture can be a manifestation of a political, religious, or moral ideology or agenda. Torture can be used to advance, defend, or promote a certain cause, belief, or value system. Torture can also be used to undermine, discredit, or destroy a rival or opposing cause, belief, or value system. Torture can also be used to influence, manipulate, or intimidate the public opinion or perception of a certain issue, event, or group.

How does torture affect the victims and the perpetrators?

Torture can have devastating and lasting effects on both the victims and the perpetrators. Some of the possible consequences of torture are:

• Physical effects: Torture can cause severe and permanent physical damage, such as wounds, scars, burns, fractures, infections, organ failure, or disability. Torture can also impair the normal functioning of the body, such as the immune, nervous, or endocrine systems. Torture can also increase the risk of developing chronic or terminal illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, or HIV/AIDS.

• Psychological effects: Torture can cause severe and persistent psychological trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, dissociation, flashbacks, nightmares, or memory loss. Torture can also alter the personality, cognition, or emotion of the victim or the perpetrator, such as inducing guilt, shame, anger, fear, distrust, or apathy. Torture can also impair the social, interpersonal, or occupational functioning of the victim or the perpetrator, such as causing isolation, withdrawal, aggression, or addiction.

• Moral effects: Torture can erode the moral values, principles, or standards of the victim or the perpetrator. Torture can challenge the sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice, or good and evil of the victim or the perpetrator. Torture can also undermine the respect, dignity, or worth of the victim or the perpetrator, as well as of other human beings. Torture can also damage the relationship between the victim or the perpetrator and their society, culture, or religion.
  

Can torture ever be justified or prevented?

There is an ongoing debate about whether torture can ever be justified or prevented. Some of the arguments for and against torture are:

• For torture: Some people argue that torture can be justified in certain exceptional circumstances, such as when there is an imminent threat of a terrorist attack, a nuclear war, or a genocide. They claim that torture can be a necessary, effective, or proportional means of saving lives, preventing harm, or achieving justice. They also claim that torture can be regulated, controlled, or monitored by legal, ethical, or professional standards and safeguards.

• Against torture: Some people argue that torture can never be justified in any circumstances, as it is a violation of human rights, international law, and human dignity. They claim that torture is always wrong, ineffective, or counterproductive, as it causes more harm than good, produces unreliable or false information or confessions, and fuels more violence or hatred. They also claim that torture can never be regulated, controlled, or monitored, as it is inherently abusive, secretive, or corrupt.

Conclusion

Torture is a complex and controversial phenomenon that poses many challenges and dilemmas for psychology, as well as for other disciplines and fields. Psychology can contribute to the understanding, prevention, and treatment of torture, as well as to the promotion of human rights, peace, and justice. Psychology can also critically examine its own role, responsibility, and accountability in relation to torture, as well as its ethical, professional, and social implications.