B. F. Skinner's Avioral Approach To Psychology

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B.F. Skinner was considered the father of behavioral approach to psychology and a noticeable spokesperson for behaviorism. According to Corey (2013), he advocated radical behaviorism. In other words it placed a primary importance on the effects of environment on behavior. Skinner was a determinist; he did not consider that humans had free choices. He recognized the existence of feeling and thoughts, but disagreed about them causing humans action. In its place, he underlined the cause-and-effect links between objective, observable environmental conditions and behavior. Skinner claimed that more than enough attention had been given to the internal states of mind and motives, which cannot be observed and changed directly and not enough focus …show more content…

He later renamed his theoretical approach social cognitive theory, by the mid-1980s to shed light on how human functions as self-organizing, proactive, self-reflective, and self- regulating (Bandura, 1986) cited by Corey (2013). According to Corey (2013), Albert Bandura caused a shift in the development of behavior therapy. Bandura had a notion that human are not simply a reactive organism; that were shaped by environmental strengths or determined by inner impulses. He then expanded the scope of behavior therapy by exploring the inner cognitive-affective forces that prompt human behavior. Bandura focused on four areas of research: (1) the power of psychological modeling in shaping thought, emotion, and action; (2) the mechanisms of human agency, or the ways people influence their own motivation and behavior through choice; (3) people’s perceptions of their efficacy to exercise influence over the events that affect their lives; and (4) how stress reactions and depression are caused (Corey, …show more content…

Also, behavior therapy was used to treat a bread variety of psychological disorders with a diverse population of clients. Wilson (2011), stated multiple disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, eating and weight disorders, sexual problems, pain management, and hypertension to have been related to a successful treatment while using this approach. Additionally, the procedures for behavior therapy are used in the fields of developmental disabilities, mental illness, education and special education, community psychology, health-related behaviors, medicine, and gerontology, which was stated by (Miltenberger, 2012; Wilson 2011) cited by Corey

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