Beth-- A bit of hyperbole maybe, but do you think that Hitler's personality was totally genetically determined? What makes the statement so astounding? Hitler (and Stalin, and Mao, et.al.) were human beings, not demons. There were many reasons why they were what they were; the fact that they were in positions to do terrible harm doesn't mean that many other people in the same circumstances would not have been just as bad. Behavior can be changed. In many ways, I'd prefer Lovaas's (over)optimism to a fatalism that simply demonizes people.
Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato [email protected] On Aug 27, 2010, at 2:06 PM, Beth Benoit wrote: > > I just finished reading another obituary for O. Ivar Lovaas, which ended with > this astounding statement: > > To the end of his career, Dr. Lovaas was adamant that applied behavior > analysis was supremely useful in childhood interventions of all kinds. > > “If I had gotten Hitler here at U.C.L.A. at the age of 4 or 5,” he told Los > Angeles magazine in 2004, “I could have raised him to be a nice person.” > > http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/health/23lovaas.html --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=4447 or send a blank email to leave-4447-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
