Behavioristic Man

In this article, Watson is explained as being the father of behaviorism and explores his ideas and theories important to behaviorism. One such idea is his theory of classical and operant conditioning. Behaviorists commonly make a distinction between respondent and operant behavior. Respondent responses include relatively simple reflexes and emotional responses, which are elicited by appropriate stimuli even prior to learning. Through conditioning, such responses may come to be elicited by a wide range of …

…are based on an elaboration of the basic discrimination operation. The last paragraph is ironic in that it goes against the theories of Freud dealing with the ego. The behaviorists claim that all behavior stems from how they were previously conditioned and that the environment has the biggest impact upon behavior. The behavioristic model makes allowance for man to behave in ways which are good or evil, rational or irrational, all depending upon his conditioning.