Behaviorism Theory
There are various ways through which motivation is achieved for people in the present-day world. To understand this, various theories have been outlined, with one of them being behaviorism theory. The behaviorism theory was started in 1913 by John B. Watson, in his publication, “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It.” (Leys, 1984). Based on this, the behaviorism theory was given the name behavior psychology. Most of the quotes used to develop the theory can trace their origin from Watson’s publication. As a matter of fact, this is where the behaviorism theory and all those who follow it get their connection from. The key belief for behaviorists is that behaviors are taught rather than inherited, and anyone can be taught any behavior, provided that the right conditioning is availed, and everything is conditioned for the achievement of that particular behavior. This is thought that is important in all organizations and all our operations.
The behavioral theory is something that has both ethical and legal support. For ethical support, the Bible, and other religious books, which are the main sources and great determinants of ethics, the behavioral theory has its support. Behavior in these books is, in some instances, determined and influences through ethics. The current world is made up of various fields, such as the education system, which are all focused on exploiting the behaviorism theory (Leys, 1984). It is something that most of the people have applied in their life, in one way or the other and one that they will keep on applying. This makes behavioral theory important for human lives and the enhancement of ethics in the world.
Literature Review
McLeod (2017) claimed that behaviorism theory outlines that the environment shapes all behaviors. In this claim, the meaning is that everything that people do, as per the behaviorism, is shaped by the environment they live in. The activities going around someone and the people around him/her are the key determinants of how they behave. This shows that behaviors are learned. One has to learn a particular behavior to behave as per what the behavior is all about and what it calls for. This is what has been used by most of the people in the learning process. We can all see that there are schools everywhere. All these schools are teaching people to be particular people, and this is well written in their heads. This claim usually depicts that the inheritance, genetics, and innate determinants of behavior are negligible. The only way genetics influences someone’s behavior is by having everybody such that those with similar characteristics surround them. It is only in such circumstances that they will end up with the same characteristics as those of people of the same linage or genetic characteristics. Since the issue of the environment influencing behavior has been around for long and has been exploited by people in various dimensions, it is high time for people to come up with measures to enhance the classification of psychology as a science.
According to Budiman (2017), the teaching of a foreign language is an area where behaviorism can be applied. The learning of foreign language, especially for people who are proficient in other languages is a problem. Most people find it hard when learning foreign languages. However, one can take advantage of using behaviorism in the learning and the teaching of a foreign language. The learning of a language is more of a psychological thing. Our psychology determines how effective and how fast we will be when learning a new language. At times, people tend to attach language to the culture of the people speaking that particular language. This means that for one to learn a language effectively, they will need a cultural set up that resembles people belonging to the culture whereby they are speaking and using that particular language.
A good example of this would be to receive the teachings of the language from nationalities, whose country speaks that language. This will have a psychological effect on those learning and will end up enhancing the achievement of the learning goals. This is a clear indication of how behaviorism can be used to enhance the learning of a foreign language.
Online teaching is an area where behaviorism can be applied (Kaplan, 2018). Kaplan (2018) presented an area whereby the focus was on the application of behaviorism in online teaching. In this, cognition and critical thinking were taken as the key contributions of behaviorism in enhancing online teaching. Tutors were expected to show great cognition and critical thinking in online teaching, capturing the diversity presented by the range of students present. Behaviorism is a great determinant of how effective the teachings are.
For this reason, educators are expected to show a great deal of behaviorism by setting sort of a virtual environment that would be effective in enhancing the learning of all the students who are subscribed to their online teachings. This would be exploiting the sense that behaviorism is effective in enhancing and determining how one behaves, both cognitively and thoughtfully. Through behaviorism, tutors can easily point out the various way through which students can end up with cognitive development and critical thinking, which are all vital for the development of the students and the grasping of whatever they are taught online by the teachers (Kaplan, 2018).
Cohen and Waite-Stupiansky (2017) claimed that behaviorism is a very important theory when it comes to early childhood education. The environment which young kids are exposed to determines the effectiveness and the ease with which they will learn. Kids learn more from the environment they are in than from anything else. Their behavior is greatly influenced by the environment and those they have around them. This is a trend that has been used for some early childhood programs whereby kids are provided with an optimized environment, one that will enhance their achievement of various goals in terms of the behavior of the kids and their ease of learning. Leaning of kids has been optimized by presenting various play stations and breaks for the kids while in the early learning institutions. This approach helps shape the kids’ behavior and how they will end up achieving various skills in their life (Cohen and Waite-Stupiansky, 2017).
Rychlak (2017) presented a case in which the behaviorism theory was useful in determining the success of young male managers. Usually, the lifestyle and the personality of managers is a greater determinant of their leadership success. This is because managers are taken as leaders, and all other employees will be trying their level best to copy and follow the outlines presented by them. Young male managers are prone to the overutilization of their money, and some might even lead a poor lifestyle. However, the lifestyle led by these managers is greatly influenced by the environment they are in and the one they were trained in. The same happens for their personality. As such, in the training of managers, an environment has to be created such that they will end up with the right behavior when it comes to their personality and their lifestyle. They should behave in a way that captures or lead their employees in the right direction. Also, their personality should influence the employees and enhance their performance of various tasks as presented for the organization. Instances of employees failing in their operations should be avoided at all costs (Rychlak, 2017).
One issue that has been raised by the use of behaviorism theory is ethics (Wood, 1979). Researchers have raised concerns regarding the use of behaviorism in various contexts. At times, researchers and psychologists have used behavioral control as a form of therapy. In achieving this, they have resulted in the manipulation of behavior to help solve some of the health issues that members of the society might be exposed to. Typically, since the behavior has already been shown by behaviorists to be greatly determined by the environment, researchers and psychologists have been provided with a way through which they can manipulate the environment and end up manipulating the behavior and achieving sort of therapy (Wood, 1979). This is something that has drawn some critics since people feel that the manipulation of behavior and use it as a form of therapy might be against the ethics of some people. This is where the main fight between ethics and the behaviorism theory starts.
There are instances where the behaviorist have tried to misuse behaviorism by manipulating their subjects using this (Wood, 1979). An excellent example of this is the case of radicalization. This has been utilized by terror groups who have used behaviorism to manipulate the behavior of some of their subjects to become extremists. The problem is even deeper since it has been applied for students and young children, who have at times, been exposed to these radicalizations. Such a move deteriorates the kids’ behavior and often leaves them in a state worse than before (Wood, 1979). It is from this that there are questionable implications of ethics for those who are using the behaviorism theory.
There have been responses by researchers and behaviorist to come up with a way of limiting the ethical implications and concerns of using behavioral modification as a form of therapy (Wood, 1979). The focus of this has been on where it is applied rather than how it is applied in coming up with a therapy. This has worked to enhance the ethical considerations of the behaviorist theory, and it is now taken as one of the theories that have shaped the recent use of behavior therapy in most applications. There is also the issue of the Bible supporting this theory in some instances. With most Christians having their ethics derived from the Bible, it is easy for them to be convinced that anything supported by the Bible ought to be ethical. There has been limited research into this area, but it will be discussed in detail in the following section (Wood, 1979).
Examples
- The parable of the talents (Matthew 25)
In this parable, a master had three servants and entrusted each of them with talents. The first servant was given 5 talents, the second was given 3 talents, and the third servant was given 1 talent. After a long period out, the master came back and asked each of the three servants to account for how they used the talent. The first two claimed that they had invested in their talent and had increased the worth of their talent by twice their worth. The final one had buried his talent and had not sought to have it enhanced. The master punished the third servant. In this, behaviorism is represented. First, the awarding of the talent by the master was as per the performance, and the behavior of the servants. The first two were rewarded with more talents since they were well behaved and had higher performances. This was shown to enhance their behavior as they ended up with high productivity. This was more like the use of reward to enhance a positive behavior, a concept in behaviorism. For the third servant, the master decided to punish him. This was a move that showed the use of punishment in encouraging the change of behavior and the achievement of positive behavior. This is something that behaviorism has called for in addressing some negative behavior (Cafferky, 2017).
- God reviving the strength of Samson after repentance (Judge 15-16)
Samson was given strength by God to be fighting for the Israelites. However, he had married a lady who was an ally to the side of the enemy. His wife was used to get the secret of the source of his strength, which was his long hair. She then informed the enemy after she had cut his hair short. Samson had was then punished by God, and the enemy had the chance to pierce his eyes while he was asleep. The punishment, in this case which was a lack of his strength, was a depiction of the use of punishment in enhancing behavior. Samson was then forced to notice his mistake and ask for repentance, which was heard by God. He has his strength revived. He then used this strength. He used it to attack the enemy while in church and ended up killing more enemies than he had killed throughout his lifetime. This was a show of constructive punishment and rewarding, which enhanced Samson’s behavior and the knowledge that he had failed God and asked for forgiveness (Cafferky, 2017).
- David rewarded for fighting Goliath (1 Sam 19).
David was a boy by the time he was killing Goliath, a man who had defeated all the Israelite soldiers. In this, Saul offered to reward David with his amour, something that David declined. God rewarded David for his courage by killing Goliath and becoming a hero, from a herd’s boy. In this case, the reward is made to encourage positive behavior from David and enhance his courage and belief in God. It supports the behaviorism theory since the theory mainly focuses on ensuring that there is a reward for positive behavior, one that enhances and encourages one to live a positive behavior as it was in this case (Cafferky, 2017).
- Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37)
The story of Joseph and his brothers has both positive and negative punishment. Joseph was arrogant to his brothers, in that he was always treated specially by his father. Though to some extent, the brothers were envious of him, the arrogance in him was a negative behavior, one that they were looking to change. In their attempt to change the behavior, the brothers decided to use positive punishment. This was in the form of dragging him into a pit and living him. Also, the decision to sell him for slavery was a positive punishment, as it helped solve the arrogant behavior. On top of that, they also had the thought of implementing a negative punishment for their brother. They had thought of killing him. This was a negative punishment in that it would not have solved the problem but would have only led to more damage as they who have lost their brothers. All these are in line with the outlines given by the behaviorism theory (Cafferky, 2017).
- Naaman rewarded for washing in the river (2 Kings 5)
Naaman was a leper who had endured much suffering. To help deal with the problem, Naaman, the leper, went to Elisha to seek his leper’s treatment. Elisha, in return, instructed him to wash seven times in the river. Naaman did not hesitate and did what Elisha instructed him. After washing for the 7 times, he ended up being rewarded by God in that he was healed, and his body was free from lepers. This is a representative of reward, one of how behaviorism can be achieved for various instances. This was a positive reward, but one that required Naaman to perform some tasks before the healing (Cafferky, 2017).
Discussions
The behaviorism theory fits with the human dignity-centered framework. This is a framework that mainly focuses on filling the gap between time-tested Christian norms and the needs of organizational leaders (Mea & Sims, 2019). Usually, this framework mainly conveys the idea that organizations are made up of social networks that are dynamic and have one point of focus, which is to serve the needs of humans. The behaviorism theory has, in various instances, enhanced the achievement of this over time. This has been done in multiple ways.
Behaviorism theory has outlined various systems that can be used to enhance the performance of the organization. Behaviorism has various instances in the Bible in which it has been applied. These instances serve to encourage other people, especially Christians, in developing and enhancing the achievement of their goals. Usually, the examples in the Bible, and the various forms in which researchers have developed the behaviorism theory works to enhance the understanding of how the theory can be used in various operations such as those designed for the mangers of various organizations (Mea & Sims, 2019).
Managers have to come up with a way of influencing the behavior of the people they are managing. It is only through this that they can end up with the right mix of the motivation of their staff members and the achievement of the goals of the organization they are managing. Behaviorism can be very effective in helping managers to influence the behavior of their subordinates. In this, both rewards and punishment will be very handy and useful for the manager. A manager will be required to use the right mix of the two, and know when to use which of the two. Such a move would be great as it will ensure that the employees are well managed and have their behavior enhanced, which will translate to better performance. An example of how this can be used is by rewarding employees who have been performing well and adhering to the organizational code of conduct (Mea & Sims, 2019). Such a move is expected to motivate then, as with the parable of the talents, and make them more productive. The manager, together with their organization, will be able to achieve better organizational performance. This will translate to more revenues and profits for the organization
Also, managers can decide to implement positive punishment (Boghossian, 2006). This will be directed to the employees who go against the organizational code of conduct. Also, in the case that the employee fails to meet the performance baseline set by the organization, the managers can decide to punish them positively. Positive punishment will enhance the achievement of the organizational goals and call for better performance from the employees.
Conclusion
In conclusion, behaviorism theory is great in shaping the behavior that people depict in their personal development and in an organizational setup. This is a theory with good Biblical backing with various instances in the Bible being clear examples of how this has been achieved. In addition to this, scholars and researchers have investigated the theory further and outlined various instances whereby the theory would be applied. However, there have been some ethical concerns about the use of this theory for behavior manipulation. In this, some behaviorists have misused the theory for the radicalization of others, something that has not gone down well with others, and humanity has large. There has been a suggestion to address this. Other than that, behaviorism has both legal and ethical backing and is something that managers for various organizations should keep on using when dealing with their subordinates.
References
Boghossian, P. (2006). Behaviorism, constructivism, and Socratic pedagogy. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 38(6), 713-722.
Budiman, A. (2017). Behaviorism and Foreign Language Teaching Methodology. ENGLISH FRANCA: Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 1(2), 101-114.
Cafferky, M. E. (2017). Management & leadership theories in scripture narratives: An editor’s outline of opportunities for further study. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 20(2).
Cohen, L. E., & Waite-Stupiansky, S. (Eds.). (2017). Theories of early childhood education: Developmental, behaviorist, and critical. Taylor & Francis.
Kaplan, D. E. (2018). Behaviorism in online teacher training. Psychology, 9(04), 570.
Leys, R. (1984). Meyer, Watson, and the dangers of behaviorism. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 20(2), 128-149.
McLeod, S. (2017). Behaviorist Approach. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html
Mea, W. J., & Sims, R. R. (2019). Human dignity-centered business ethics: A conceptual framework for business leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(1), 53-69.
Rychlak, J. F. (2017). Personality and lifestyle of young male managers: A logical learning theory analysis. Elsevier.
Wood, W. S. (1979). Ethics for behaviorists. The Behavior Analyst, 2(2), 9.