Hi Another fundamental consequence of behaviorism for psychology was (is), I believe the emphasis psychology places on observable events (i.e., behavior, including verbal reports) in conceptualizing and testing models of psychological events. This has helped psychology to avoid some of the pitfalls of over-theorizing that have afflicted other social sciences, and perhaps is one reason why psychology is often separated from the social sciences when there are attacks on the credibility and scientific nature of those disciplines.
Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [email protected] >>> "Joan Warmbold" <[email protected]> 24-May-12 3:52 am >>> Michael, My initial response is what took you so long to see the true way, lol? I don't think age is a factor as I have been a faithful and true believer of the science of behaviorism as studied by Skinner, Pavlov and Bandura since my years as an undergraduate. To the contrary, I always have been perplexed and saddened by the strong appeal of the plethora of unscientific theories of personality that are based only on authoritative evidence. Not that I don't understand the intrigue of the theories of Freud and Jung as they both incorporate many intellectually complex and fascinating ideas about the human psyche. And as I have told my students from day one, if we had a popularity contest among the various theories, Carl Rogers humanistic theory would win hands down. I mean, gee whiz, how can we not want to embrace a theory that supports so many desirable and ego-boosting perspectives about our nature, including the notion that we have free-will and an inborn drive to self-actualize. The fact that Rogers' views never had empirical support was of little concern. They reinforced our (naive) view of ourselves and that was that. Meanwhile, that steely-eyed Skinner guy kept insisting that we don't have free-will and that our experiences played a crucial role in shaping our behaviors and choices. Poor B.F. was done in by one of the basic elements of his research on operant conditioning. His scientifically supported conclusions were simply too punishing for many to hear. But within recent years it cannot be ignored that just about every where we turn, the learning principles discovered by the big three, Pavlov, Skinner and Bandura, are enabling therapists to use behavioral strategies that provide dramatic and amazing assistance to many we thought were beyond our reach--like autistic children; veterans with PSTD; expanding the movement capabilities of people who have had a stroke, MS or cerebral palsy (see Edward Taub's use of shaping); people dealing with advanced OCD or many years of dealing with panic attacks. So, though many still might prefer the ideas and theories of Freud, Jung, Rogers, they have not truly advanced our ability to improve the lives of those dealing with serious dysfunctions. We would have to be both blind and dumb to not accept that it was the research of Skinner on operant conditioning as well as Pavlov's work on classical conditioning and Bandura's work on observational learning that have enabled therapists to help patients make dramatic improvements in the lives of so very many. Joan > My graduate advisor once said to me - and he was in his 70s at the time - > that "when you're young you're a democrat and when you're older you're a > republican". I think the expression is also known as, "A democrat is just > a republican who hasn't been mugged yet." > > Well, this change in political party hasn't happened to me yet, but I was > wondering if I'm becoming more behavioristic as I grow older. I remember > when I was an impressionistic lad I was all over Maslow/Rogers theory. > Now I've grown somewhat pessimistic about the efficacy of all that talk > therapy and I wonder if changing our circumstances is, in the end, more > important in our lives than all that talk. > > Thoughts? > > Michael > > > Michael A. Britt, Ph.D. > [email protected] > http://www.ThePsychFiles.com > > > > > > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=17994 or send a blank email to leave-17994-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- 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=18004 or send a blank email to leave-18004-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
