Explain One Of The Key Components Of Behaviorism

As a counselor I see myself following behavioral perspective which is learning and behavior described and explained in terms of stimulus-responsive relationships. One of the key components of behaviorism is that the environment influences the behavior. People’s behavior is a result of their interaction with the environment. People become conditioned and molded to respond in certain ways based on responses like feedback, praise, and rewards. Behavior is focused on observable events rather than events that occur inside a person’s head such as thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Theorist believe that learning has not occurred unless an observable change has occurred.

Any breathing animal has certain needs that must be met for it to survive. These can include water, food and sleep. If these criteria are met, the animal will be able to withstand a level of homeostasis. According to the behavioral perspective, a wish for this homeostasis is what energies and motivates an individual.

The drive for homeostasis also affects the actions of an individual in another way.

If, at any point, homeostasis is interrupted or changed, the individual will be motivated to act. This motivation will continue until they are able to achieve the same level of homeostasis again. This relates to feelings of hunger, for example, if an individual is hungry they will seek out food.

Another characteristic of motivation is related to learned behaviors. An individual will learn certain behaviors such as concern because of habituation. In fact, Neal Miller is best known for creating the theory of operant conditioning. This theory states that an individual can be taught to do something because they are working towards or against a specific

action.

Finally, there is incentive motivation. This theory says that an individual can be motivated to action by something that is outside of themselves. For example, getting a new car will motivate a teenager to graduate high school. Getting money will motivate an adult to go to work every day.

Diverse types of motivation can be used in different ways. By combining each of these types of motivation it is possible to understand why a person will act the way that they do.
Example 1:

Anthony is planning on taking the AP History exam. He knows that if he gets a 5 on the exam it will look good when he is applying to college. If this happens he will be more likely to get into any college, he chooses. He decides to study to get the good grade, but when a friend wants him to go skiing he decides to stop studying for the weekend to leave town. He has studied for a week and has worked through his study materials. He believes he can get a good enough score without studying anymore.

According to the behavioral perspective, and more specifically incentive motivation, Andrew has a motivator to achieve a good grade, so that he can get into a good college. He wants to achieve this goal and therefore he will work towards it. But this motivator could be improved if, for example, his mother offers him a new car in exchange for a 5 on his exam. Because this incentive is larger than the one he would currently gain by achieving a 5, he would likely choose to spend more time studying to achieve it.

This theory, though sometimes considered outdated, still has advantages as a way of understanding the reasons that an individual will act the way that they do. It has been replaced in some instances by newer theories; however, it has remained effective based on the studies and research done in the past.