Behaviorism Necessarily= Manipulation and No Morality? /// Emma Landry

My dad is a licensed counselor who has focused on behavioral therapy throughout his career. It was very interesting to read this article and have a glimpse into his arena. In my previous psychology classes in which behaviorism has been mentioned, the materials have mentioned Skinner. However, my main memory is reading about Pavlov's testing with dogs and the accounts of experiments with rats. Though behaviorism seemed logical to me, I think I subconsciously wondered what the point was since there were not prominent stories presented in the curriculum of it applying to people. However, knowing my dad to be a very intelligent person who subscribes to this particular approach to therapy, I never questioned it much or had many of the thoughts found in the twenty criticisms that Skinner discussed in his essay. #18 and #19 caught my eye as very interesting comments that certainly do not apply if one is a practicing Christian counselor, therapist, or psychologist.

#18 says that behaviorism is "necessarily antidemocratic because the relation...is manipulative" (p. 1). It also suggests that those with dictator-like tendencies will abuse these methods to gain control. These concerns are not entirely invalid. However, in the right hands, the relationship need not be one of manipulation. If one seeks out a sincere Christian counselor who views patients as image-bearers of the Lord, patients will be willingly putting themselves in the hands of those who want to make use of techniques discovered with God-given intelligence to help people gain more freedom. Respect for the patient will be inherent and transparency will exist. This will hopefully enable these people to live fuller lives as the creations God has made them to be. While concerns of manipulation are valid, it is all about the perspective and sincerity of the practicing behaviorist. Additionally, the #18 argument is weak because many things or methods could be weaponized in the hands of the wrong person. One should not live paralyzed in fear, writing off a method of possibly improving quality of life for many simply because it could fall into the wrong hands. Also, if behaviorism is essentially manipulative, would professions such as speech therapy and physical therapy be mainly about control as well? If one thinks about it too critically, many careers and practices of everyday life could be considered to be centered around manipulation. Criticism #19 says that behaviorism "regards abstract ideas such as morality... as fiction." I believe that this is false because it is morally correct to use one's skills and methods available to help others. This is the vocational mindset of a Christian. Therefore, the fact that behaviorism can be used to help identify and change one's patterns of behavior for the better refutes the assertion of #19. Morality is not absent from behaviorism, especially if one pairs it with Christian ethics. 

I commented on Emmett Bryant and Braylan Stringfellow's posts.