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What does the science of behavior apply to you?
Indeed I have come to accept that human beings are the most multifaceted beings ever created by in the universe, and comprehension of the actual triggers of their behavior can be a daunting task for a layman. But thanks to B.F. Skinner for his radical behaviorism theory, whose concepts have really created a significant impact on my daily life experiences. As I interact with different people in my workplace, in my family, and various recreational associations, I have learned to acknowledge and apply Skinner’s theory of radical behaviorism more often because of the positive outcomes associated with it.
Just to give a brief into the theory, radical behaviorism hypothesizes that human behavior is heavily dependent on environmental factors, which, according to Skinner, can range from internal to external. According to Skinner, interaction with diverse environments forms the basis through which new behaviors are acquired (Thyer, 2015). The primary point of reasoning in this approach of psychology is the importance of behavior reinforcement. In his operant conditioning experiment, Skinner established that behavior could be reinforced either positively by using rewards whenever the desired behavior is recognized or negatively by using punishments whenever an undesired behavior is identified. According to the radical behaviorism theory, an individual’s consciousness does not play any role in the determination of behavior. This depicts that non-observable events, including perception and thinking, are not taken into account when behavior is shaped (Thyer, 2015). Meaning, the behavior is not static and thus can be altered if the right strategies are used.
I have found this kind of knowledge applicable in my workplace.
As a clinician, I often work with other mental health experts in ensuring that we provide our patients with high-quality care. We often use radical behaviorism’s concepts to find effective ways that other mental health practitioners can use to provide quality care to our patients. We identify possible negative behaviors, such as faults in research aptitudes or bedside conduct with patients, and determine factors triggering those behaviors. We then establish strategies to modify such behaviors to generate more positive results, thereby facilitating practitioners to give a higher quality of care to patients. Besides, I have found radical behaviorism techniques useful in the treatment of most of my patients. For instance, in my clinical setting, I always encounter situations where a patient complains of feeling depressed during particular times of the day. I usually employ different radical behaviorism techniques in ascertaining the particular factors contributing to that patient’s depression, addressing the factors, and then finding ways to modify the patient’s behavior, with the objective of improving their mental health wellbeing.
Another exciting part demonstrated by Skinner’s radical behaviorism theory is the claim that not all behaviors can be directly observed. Skinner’s argument that there is some part of human behavior that can be attributed to private, internal events illuminates that one can tell that private events are acting on behavior due to the explicit expression of the private event. This simply means that one’s interpretation of internal feelings is often accompanied by the appearance of public events (Lee, 2016). For instance, when one person is in pain, they must do more than just saying that they are in pain. They must be distracted, hold their face, grimace, and later these behaviors should change upon being given an aspirin. I have found the application of the account of private useful in many incidents in my life. In my home, I use it in the interpretation of my young sister’s everyday behavior. My sister had a tendency to cry and hide her face whenever we had visitors. Having been touched with the implications of what her behavior would bring in her adult life, which will often involve interactions with more people, I was able to establish what contributed her behaviors using radical behaviorism techniques. Having been touched with the implications of what her behavior would bring in her adult life, which will often involve interactions with more people. I employed various techniques and helped her to develop more competent social skills. After sometimes, there were modifications in her behavior, and that heightened my hopes in the application of the theory.
Generally, I have come to realize that Skinner’s radical behaviorism theory has, for several years, tried to investigate the role that our environment plays in the determination of who we really are. According to several studies conducted concerning the theory, it has been depicted that as human beings, we respond to conditioning and are ready to learn when adequately conditioned. Meaning, environment, the world around us is vital in conditioning people to display specific behaviors that are desired (Lee, 2016). I have always wanted to make the world a better place suitable for all humanity. Therefore, I have found that Skinner’s concepts are vital for making our world more fascinating. Through using ideas of radical behaviorism, we can embrace cognitive development in our children, reduce violence, increase the education levels and income, and even avert the criminal behaviors. It is nurturing of our environment that will make all societal facets to look more positive, that is from home to the learning institutions and afar. It will guarantee that young people become adults having the interests, assets, habits, and skills that are required in living healthy, productive, and contented lives. The nurture effect presents evidence-based intermediations that can avert most of the behavioral and psychological complications that are common in our society.
References
Thyer, B. A. (2015). Radical Behaviorism and Clinical Social: Work. In Paradigms of clinical social work (pp. 151-176). Routledge.
Lee, V. L. (2016). Beyond behaviorism. Routledge.