The Need for Structure// Emily Otts

     On pages 213-214, Skinner speaks of Structuralism, a strategy under behaviorism. Structuralism does not try to explain why people do certain things, it simply states what it is they are doing. It is simply the observations of why people do things over and over, why they stick to routines and traditions. It cannot explain why we do these things. It is simply a function of time and age, as Skinner puts it. 

    I propose one possible reason as to why people often stick to what they know, and that is comfort. People like to be comfortable, especially in this day and age. Change is scary, as we do not know what it will bring. That is why so many students fear graduation on some level. School gave them a routine to stick to, and they do not know what waits for them after high school or college. They must embrace a change in routine. Eventually, they will find comfort again in a new routine, but at some point, a change will come along again. We find comfort in the routine of our lives, as we know how the day will go because of it. We find comfort in the fact that we are prepared for how the day will go, or at least, we believe we are prepared.  This is why we stick to traditions and vote the same every time. It gives us a sense of comfort in our lives. Without routine, without structure, many of us would be at a loss of what to do and scared of the uncertainty that takes place of routine. That is why many of us do not work well without structure. Structure can be an important part of our lives, but it does not need to be our entire life.

 I commented on Emmett Bryant and Bug Olsen's posts. 

Comments

  1. Joshua NaqviMarch 21, 2022 at 5:28 PM

    I agree that change is not always ideal in one's life. We often times want life to be predictable and move at our own pace. Often this is not the case. It is extremely rare if ever that life unfolds exactly how we expect it to. Skinner is right to see and express the value of structure. Structure is essential for keeping us moving forward despite hard circumstances or challenges. It is not a guarantee for an easier life, but it can help during difficult situations.

    -Josh Naqvi

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  2. Braylan StringfellowMarch 22, 2022 at 9:29 AM

    Finding comfort is something that everyone tries to do. Once we find what is comfortable for us, we don’t want to leave it. I have to agree that comfort is a good theory as to why people do not change their behaviors. Structure does provide stability which give comfort to us, but we do have to realize that there will be changes in our lives that do affect our structure. We have to be willing to change when necessary. I do believe that structure is necessary in our lives but we have to be willing to adapt when necessary.

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