quote:
Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.
How long can you leave the conditioned monkeys without bananas before they will go after the banana on the string?
Five Monkeys
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before too long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same results; all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.
Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.
Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here. And that, my friends, is how policy is established!
I suppose when they get hungry enough, they must either decide they can pull together and all get a bite to eat or remain in a conditioned state and starve individually! 
What about the monkey who cowers in the corner and throws his own feces at the water bearer?
quote:
What about the monkey who cowers in the corner and throws his own feces at the water bearer?
Ahh!, he's the radical one, the situational leader if you will, who through his charismatic appeal, will bond the other four monkeys into a functional group!