Behaviourism Theory And Neo-Neobehaviorism

As is the nature of schools of thought, behaviorism formed in opposition of the time’s psychological methodology and focus – introspection and consciousness. The basic tenants of behaviorism are as follows: psychology is a science and therefore it must follow scientific measures; behavior is produced by a stimulus and is predictable; an individual’s behavior is a pure result of the environment. Behaviorism’s foundation is a compilation of the works of Auguste Comte, John Locke, James Mill, and C. Lloyd Morgan. Comte’s positivism had been mulling for some time and resurged, becoming fundamental to the scientific zeitgeist of the 20th century. Locke’s idea of tabula rasa and Mill’s idea of mechanism are evident in the methodology of behavior.

in 1960. As it was with behaviorism, the neobehaviorists believed in the efficacy of operationism. Everything must be defined in objective, precise, and observable terms. Edward Tolman, Clark Hall, and B. F. Skinner were among the neobehaviorists. Tolman proposed the behaviorists S-R (stimulus-response) idea was better explained as S-O-R (stimulus-organism-response). This research was later used by Hall and Skinner. Tolamn’s work later lead to the foundation of modern cognitive psychology. Hall proposed a new method of scientific research: hypothetico-deductive method which “uses deduction from a set of formulations that are determined by establishing postulates from which experimentally testable conclusions can be deduced” (Schultz & Schultz, 2016, p. 241). Simply put, Hall worked to make psychological inquiry more objective. He also studied reinforcement in learning which was later criticized for its narrowness. B. F. Skinner is perhaps the most famous psychologists to come from the neobehaviorist school. Skinner used single-subject studies to describe behavior, rather than explain behavior. His most important contributions to psychology were operant conditioning and behavior modification, which are still used today in workplace environments. These ideas prompted the founding of sociobehaviorism which accepted cognitive factors and processes. It is this school which is most relevant to the field of modern counseling. Albert Bandura proposed a social cognitive theory which placed the human subject at the center of study. His works include vicarious reinforcement, the transcendent nature of violence from on screen to real life, and self-efficacy. He and other sociobehaviorists returned agency to individuals while maintaining a mechanistic point of