Hi Folks,
I'm using Walden Two in a class this summer and while surfing the web, I
ran across a Walden Two community's web site (Los Horcones:
http://www.loshorcones.org.mx/). On their web site (go to Brief
Introduction and then to section on Misunderstandings about Behavior
Analysis and Radical Behaviorism) is a discussion of what they identify
as misunderstandings, They recommend that students direct their
psychology instructors to this site.
Anyway, it says the following. I would love to get your feedback on
this.
Behavior Analysis is misunderstood when:
1. It is said to be mechanistic, to consider human beings as machines,
or robots without feelings,
emotions or thoughts. See Behavior Analysis
2. It is said to be reductionistic, to consider psychological events as
biological or physical.
3. It is said that it reduces human psychology to stimuli and responses.
It is said to be based on
Pavlov's ideas. It is said that human behavior is conditioned reflexes.
4. It is said to deny freedom and dignity, asserting that human behavior
is predestined. It is said that
human beings are slaves of circumstances and that nobody has dignity
because nobody has merit.
5. It is said to be based on logical positivism, which means that we are
able to study only that can be
observed and verified by two people. It is said to deny the existence of
feelings and thoughts because
they can not be observed by others. It is said that human beings are
black boxes.
6.It is said that it is not a science but Skinner's theory alone, that
it is based on his very personal way
of conceiving human behavior.
7. It is said that behavior scientists are interested in manipulating or
controlling people.
8. It is said that it is a cold and dehumanizing science.
9. It is said that it denies the uniqueness of the individual, meaning
that every person respond to the
same stimulus in the same way. It is said that humans are machines.
Thanks,
linda
--
linda m. woolf, ph.d.
associate professor - psychology
webster university
main webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/
Holocaust and genocide studies pages:
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/holocaust.html
womens' pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/women.html
gerontology pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/gero.html
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
