What happens to those who were "turned" and other issues not addressed in the Companion

[Sabio]

I think Jack meant 13 Nynaeve clones.

[jack of shadows]

i did and i was just kidding GOSH!

[Samm-uel]

The turning was used when the Dark One was still sealed, in the War of Power and afterwards right? If that's the case, then I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be affected by resealing the Dark One.

 

However, the Turned are probably not much of a threat since, the way the book described it, they don't have much will or initiative on their own. They'd need Darkfriends or Black Ajah around telling them what to do to actively cause a problem....which I realize now could totally still happen.

 

Does anyone have a source on how exactly Turning works? Is the soul destroyed and replaced? I think aMoL intentionally leaves it vague. 

[mbuehner]

The turning was used when the Dark One was still sealed, in the War of Power and afterwards right? If that's the case, then I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be affected by resealing the Dark One.

 

However, the Turned are probably not much of a threat since, the way the book described it, they don't have much will or initiative on their own. They'd need Darkfriends or Black Ajah around telling them what to do to actively cause a problem....which I realize now could totally still happen.

 

Does anyone have a source on how exactly Turning works? Is the soul destroyed and replaced? I think aMoL intentionally leaves it vague. 

 

Team RJ described it as damping down all the 'good' attributes a person had and amping up all the negative. Like steroids on steroids I guess. I think this implies their souls are not replaced, but this is the actual same person, just wrecked. I'd suppose its similar to someone being tortured to the point of complete personality change (Theon Greyjoy comes to mind).

 

For that reason, maybe the victims arent so dangerous as being Dark Friends running around, but more likely to be more common criminals or psychopaths. Under close scrutiny they might be rehabbed in a sense, if they can be convinced that anti-social behavior is not in their selfish interest.

[mbuehner]

Actually now that I think about it- there have been cases of traumatic brain injuries where the victim has undergone total personality change (usually for the worse). There are parts of the brain that control social behavior, impulse control, empathy. Its probably similar to that. The victim isnt necessarily a monster intent of mayhem, but they may simply have no regard for anyone but themselves due to circumstances beyond their control. They can still be taught social skills, but they learn them by rote, not because of any actual regard for right or wrong or empathy for others.

 

<edit> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-you-make-sociopath-through-brain-injury-trauma/

 

Severe trauma to specific regions of the brain can cause a person to undergo marked personality changes, such as in the famous case of Phineas Gage. While working as a railroad construction foreman in Vermont in 1848, he survived an accident in which a large iron rod was driven through his head, damaging much of his brain's left frontal lobe. Although he did not become a sociopath, the reported effects on his personality and behavior were so profound that friends saw him as “no longer Gage.”

[mb]

Logain's & Toveine's bond seems to be another indicator of the soul not being destroyed.  since Rand kept his Warder bonds after the body swap, it seems that Warder bonds are attached to their respective souls.

Logain told in some scene that he released her bond.