Behaviorism

by John B. Watson

This is the sourcebook for one of the most significant movements in twentieth-century psychology. “Two opposed points of view,” John B. Watson wrote in 1925, “are still dominant in American psychological thinking: introspective or subjective psychology, and behaviorism or objective psychology.” His statement is still true today. Reacting against traditional psychology’s emphasis on feelings and introspection, and its lack of precise categories, Watson proposed a methodological approach to psychological problems that would be logical, precise, and scientific. Consciousness, he believed, was not a usable hypothesis: the proper subject of human psychology is the behavior of the human being. Behaviorism aimed to free psychology from elusive, vague concepts and establish it as a true natural science.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Philosophy, History, Classics, Linguistics

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

John Broadus Watson (January 9, 1878 – September 25, 1958) was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism. Watson promoted a change in psychology through his address, Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it, which was given at Columbia University in 1913. Through his behaviorist approach, Watson conducted research on animal behavior, child rearing, and advertising. In addition, he conducted the controversial "Little Albert" experiment.

Reviews

[bily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a beginning of my reading more psychological material outside of the classroom. It is certainly a dated book with ideas that sound, frankly, ridiculous by now, but it is still an important part of psychological history and a documentation for certain beliefs at the time. It started to lose me in the last quarter. The rest of it was really quite and enjoyable to read and simply written.

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to the behaviourist ideology.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1924, this treatise contains some dated concepts and views. However, if you allow for these innocuous positions then this is an intersting and informative analysis of how behaviourism, as Watson explains it, relates to the psychology and psychoanalysis of the time.

In summary, as human beings, what we learn and how we behave is the result of the totality of the stimulus applied to us, as an organism, from birth until we mature. Covering topics such as the human body, emotions, words, language and thinking; Watson provides observational conculsions from formal experiments, to anchor behaviourism as a modern science.

[Masika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is great for undersatnding the importance of our behavior. I recommend it to anyone interested in psychology and human behavior in general.

[Michael Mcclanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will make you mad, but want to read more.