In 'A Clockwork Orange', what is the name of the aversion therapy used on Alex?

In “A Clockwork Orange,” the aversion therapy used on Alex is called the Ludovico Technique.

In Anthony Burgess’s novel, the Ludovico Technique is an experimental state treatment intended to reform violent criminals. Alex accepts it after being imprisoned, hoping that participation will shorten his sentence. Doctors inject him with nausea-inducing drugs while forcing him to watch graphic films depicting violence, rape, and other crimes.

The treatment uses conditioning: Alex’s mind begins linking violent thoughts and actions with intense physical sickness. It also damages his relationship with classical music because some of the films are accompanied by Beethoven, one of his favourite composers. The result makes Alex incapable of choosing violence freely, raising the novel’s central question of whether enforced goodness is genuine morality.

“Conditioning” describes the method, but it is not the treatment’s proper name. The Ludovico Technique is also central to Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptation, where Alex’s eyes are held open during the screenings. The prison chaplain objects that the procedure removes Alex’s free will.