The Psychological Repercussions of Big Brother is Watching

The Psychological Repercussions of Big Brother is Watching

In the novel “1984” by George Orwell, there is an implication that the government continuously surveils the society in the book, and thus there is nothing as a sense of privacy in that community. Being watched continuously assaults people’s privacy, and just as it was the case of Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story, this idea can have severe consequences on someone’s psychological wellbeing. The notion of surveillance has been captured in “1984” with the term “Big brother is watching” to indicate that the government in the narrative practices mass surveillance on its people. Though this is often perceived as a sense of enhancing security, just as it is with the case of CCTVs in the present society, there are consequences attached to the practice. This essay will, therefore, analyze the psychological repercussions associated with constant surveillance on people and how this can alter their cognitive performance and social behaviors.

Privacy remains to be one of the most important aspects of everyone’s life simply because it allows people to create boundaries along with protecting themselves from unwarranted interference in their lives. At the same time, privacy ensures that people maintain a sense of autonomy and enjoy their freedom without interference from arbitrary and unjustified use of power by individuals, companies, or the government. Therefore, when there is no privacy, then there lacks a sense of autonomy. It is evident in 1984 that their government is controlling the population of Oceania, and one of the ways is through the eyes of Big Brother. Orwell described, “Big Brother seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector, standing like a rock against the hordes of Asia, and Goldstein, in spite of his isolation” (19). The statement in itself captures the significance of the ‘Big Brother’ or surveillance in the lives of the people, thus triggering the need to understand how this presence of constant surveillance affects the psychological wellbeing of individuals.

One of the psychological repercussions of constant surveillance is the development of worry and anxiety. Anxiety is generally the body’s natural response to stress, and it is usually triggered by the fear of apprehension regarding the possibilities of forthcoming events. Shaughnessy et al. stated that the main trigger of social anxiety is the fear that one is being negatively evaluated or being judged and are unaware of the feedback they are getting from the person or people watching them hence causing fear of being oneself (214). The idea that a person is watched continuously creates a panic in the brain, forcing them to be self-conscious in everything they are doing since they are unaware of the consequences of their choices. The evasion of privacy hence creates the notion that one is always on the verge of being punished for any activity that they do, and it is through this fear that the government of Oceania was managing to control its citizens. As it has already been mentioned, anxiety is triggered by the sense of impending danger as a repercussion for being constantly monitored by another party looking to punish than to support or protect. In turn, as the big brother continuously watches people, they start to live self-consciously and in fear because they are not sure of what activities might be violating the big brother.

The other psychological consequence of the big brother is watching is the loss of emotional control. Studies have shown that always being under surveillance affects the emotional stimuli associated with inhibitory control, and this because continuous surveillance hinders planned responses controlled by the brain (Yu et al. 2). The limbic system in the human mind in the brain facilitates showing, recognizing, and controlling a body’s response to emotions, and it is the neurons within the hippocampus that help people know how to react to emotions (Yu et al. 3). However, the impact of constantly watching someone is encouraging them to delay their response to certain human emotions that are generally prompted unconsciously. The process of being self-conscious for a long period alerts the body to inhibit specific responses. When this is practiced for an extended period, it begins to have a detrimental effect on the limbic system. It then points to the idea that increased levels of conscientiousness make people be always alert. Through the process, they gradually lose their sense of self-identity since they cannot react to moments based on their preferences. It is because of that in the book “1984” it is evident that the people of Oceania have been brainwashed to a point where they cannot think for themselves since the Party and the Big Brother have always been dictating the way they live through ongoing surveillance.

The last psychological repercussion from the watchful eyes of Big Brother is the development of the intermittent explosive disorder. The intermittent explosive disorder is a psychological disorder often typified by sudden episodes of anger, hostility, and impulsivity (McLaughlin et al. 1132). Anger can be a mental issue when a person does not feel well, experiences some loss, or feels threatened. In the novel “1984,” Winston started developing hatred towards the Party when he was having an affair with Julia, and this is triggered by the fact that he was afraid that at one point, they would be caught and punished since their relationship was always watched. The anger that almost led Winston to challenge the Party was triggered by fear and loss of privacy, and thus, he saw it necessary that there is a need to revolt against the system. The knowledge of being watched by others makes one feel as if they are imprisoned in their world, triggering the need to seek freedom, and their behavior in this circumstance is often characterized by impulsivity and hostility, which can signify the presence of intermittent explosive disorder. The loss of privacy because of the watchful eyes, therefore, prompts the idea that no one belongs to themselves and that everyone is a slave to a system.

In conclusion, the psychological impacts of the watchful big brother are grave to an individual and society in general. It is mainly because the concept on its own violates a person’s privacy, which then translates to the idea that people can no longer maintain their sense of autonomy or self-identity. Some of the psychological repercussions that have been captured in this essay include increased anxiety, loss of emotional control, and development of hostility, impulsivity, and uncontrolled anger. All these are concepts that were captured efficiently by George Orwell in the novel “1984” that warns people about the probable dangers of loss of privacy relatively evident in today’s society.