Behaviorism and Humanism Comparison

Behaviorism and Humanism Comparison

Personality Overview Paper

The study of human personality has numerous theories. When looking at the differences of these
theories, one can not help but wonder if the theories are a representation of the individual who
developed them. There is also a question of variances based on geographical and time of which these
theories were developed. Researchers gain a basic knowledge and understanding based on scientific
research and current theories of the time. Combined with the personality of the individual, and his or
her biases, it is easy to see how the various theories of personality came to be. As knowledge and
scientific approaches advance, so do theories researchers develop. Some are based, and expand upon
existing theories, and others may be completely new theories that challenge what researchers already
understand.

As with all theories and practices, there will be strengths and limitations. In regard to personality
theories one must determine whether or not the behavior is deterministic or the free will of the
individual. Other factors to be accounted for are the individuals awareness of self, or the conscious
and unconscious motives for the individuals behavior. Environmental factors must also be accounted
for, as does the individuals ethnic history, social background, and family experiences during
childhood. Taking these factors into account, researchers can develop basic underlying assumptions of
human behavior and personality traits.

Psychodynamic Theories
Some of the most noted individuals involved with psychodynamic theories are Sigmund Freud (1856-
1939), Alfred Alder (1870-1937), Carl Jung (1875-1961), Melanie Klein (1882-1960), Karen Horney
(1885-1952), Erich Fromm (1900-1980), Harry Sullivan (1892-1949), and Erik Erikson (1902-1994).
Each of these individuals developed theories that form the basic guidelines of understanding human
personalities. These theories complement and contrast one another in various points and concepts,
which gives researchers of today different ideas to work with. On their own, each theory has withstood
years of advancements in the field of human personality studies, and have provided vast amounts of
research data, and guidelines that researchers use to this day.

Theory Comparison
Researchers have various theories to choose from in regard to studying human personality and
behavior. Researchers may choose to use a humanistic approach, a behavioral approach, or
psychoanalytic approach, to name a few. Each approach provides a different set of assumptions,
processes, and applications. They also provide different strengths and weaknesses that can aid or
hamper scientific study.

Humanistic Approach
The humanistic approach emphasizes the study of the whole person, and that behavior is related to the
individuals inner feelings and self-concept (McLeod, 2007). The humanistic approach operates on the
basic assumption that people have free will, and people have an innate desire to make themselves, and
the world better (McLeod). Humanism also rejects the scientific approach used in other methods of
psychological study, and places emphasis on humans being fundamentally different from other animals
because humans are capable of thought, reason, and language (McLeod). Humanistic researchers
rejected the rigorous scientific approach to psychology because it was viewed as dehumanizing, and
lacking in the ability to capture the importance of conscious experiences (McLeod). Instead, the
humanist approach relies on qualitative research methods like diary accounts, open-ended
questionnaires, unstructured interviews, and observations on an individual level to discover the ways
people think and feel (McLeod).

The humanistic approach views personal growth and fulfillment as a basic human motive, and argue
that objective reality is less important than subjective perception and understanding (McLeod, 2007). It
offered new ideals for approaching the understanding of human nature and condition, and expanded the
 horizon of methods used to study human behavior. As a result, humanism introduced a broader range
of effective methods of psychotherapy practices (McLeod).

Behaviorist Approach
The behaviorist theory operates on the basic assumptions that psychology should be approached from a
scientific manner, and emphasizes the concern of observable behavior over internal events like thinking
(McLeod, 2007). It also suggests that behavior is the result of a stimulus, and is determined by the
individuals environment (McLeod). Behaviorist psychologists believe that theories require the support
of empirical data obtained through carefully controlled observation and behavior measurement
(McLeod). Behaviorists also believe that behavior can be objectively and scientifically measured, and
that internal events like thinking and emotion can be explained using behavioral terms (McLeod).
Behavioral research employs clinical techniques like lab experiments.

Some of the more noted experiments in behavioral science are Pavlovs Dogs, The Skinner Box, and
the Little Albert experiment. Although behavioral theory provides highly applicable therapy, it
disregards mediational process, biology, and implies that individuals have little or no free-will
(McLeod). Because behavioral theory emphasizes that individuals and animals learn new behavior
through classical and operant conditioning, behaviorism is applied in areas like gender role
development, behavioral therapy and modification, and treatment of phobias.

Comparison
Humanism and behaviorism both provide solid aspects in the study of human behavior. These tow
theories each offer opposing assumptions like free-will versus no free-will. Each theory offers different
approaches that either accept or reject scientific study, and emphasize the importance of either
environmental or innate influences on human behavior. Behaviorism emphasizes the importance of the
scientific process and assumes that individuals are shaped by their environment (McLeod, 2007), while
humanism rejects the scientific methods used by behaviorism and assumes that individuals are shaped
by an innate drive to make themselves and the world a better place (McLeod)

Conclusion
In the field of psychology, in particular the study of human behavior and personality there are
numerous theories that offer different approaches, assumptions, and applications. While many of these
theories are built on previous theories, they may provide variations of the original theory, or even
contradict the previous theory in certain areas. Other theories like humanism may reject completely the
assumptions of theories like behavioralism and take a completely different approach to the study of
behavior and personality. In either case, the various theories that dominate the study of behavior and
personality provide researchers with a wealth of understanding how and why humans behave, and what
drives an individual to develop specific personality traits. One thing to remember in the study of human
behavior and personality is that researchers to this day do not agree on what approach is correct, and
that researchers must determine what approach fits his or her needs the best.

References
McLeod, S. (2007). Simply Psychology. Retrieved fromhttp://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html

BEHAVIORISM

April 14 2011
 DEFINITION
Behaviorism is a learning theory that only focuses on objectively observable
behaviors and discounts any independent activities of the mind. Behavior
theorists define learning as nothing more than the acquisition of new behavior
based on environmental conditions.

DISCUSSION
Experiments by behaviorists identify conditioning as a universal learning
process. There are two different types of conditioning, each yielding a
different behavioral pattern:

1. Classic conditioning occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus.

We are biologically wired so that a certain stimulus will produce a specific
response. One of the more common examples of classical conditioning in the
educational environment is in situations where students exhibit irrational fears
and anxieties like fear of failure, fear of public speaking and general school
phobia.
2. Behavioral or operant conditioning occurs when a response to a stimulus is
reinforced. Basically, operant conditioning is a simple feedback system: If a
reward or reinforcement follows the response to a stimulus, then the response
becomes more probable in the future. For example, leading behaviorist B.F.
Skinner used reinforcement techniques to teach pigeons to dance and bowl a
ball in a mini-alley.

There have been many criticisms of behaviorism, including the following:

 Behaviorism does not account for all kinds of learning, since it disregards the
activities of the mind.
Behaviorism does not explain some learningsuch as the recognition of new
language patterns by young childrenfor which there is no reinforcement
mechanism.
Research has shown that animals adapt their reinforced patterns to new
information. For instance, a rat can shift its behavior to respond to changes in
the layout of a maze it had previously mastered through reinforcements.

HOW BEHAVIORISM IMPACTS LEARNING

This theory is relatively simple to understand because it relies only on
observable behavior and describes several universal laws of behavior. Its
positive and negative reinforcement techniques can be very effective such
as in treatments for human disorders including autism, anxiety disorders and
antisocial behavior. Behaviorism is often used by teachers who reward or
punish student behaviors.

Comparing Behaviorist And Humanistic

The field of psychology is complex and fascinating precisely because there are many
schools of thought on various matters related to the field. In the study of the human
behavior and personality, there are two main directions in which researchers and
professionals place themselves: the behaviorist direction and the humanistic one. Both of
them study the same thing, yet they are very different in essence and sometimes they
are even opposing.

Basically, behaviorists believe that human behavior can be measured and that it can be
studied scientifically. For this branch of the psychology professionals, the behavior a
human has is the result of his/her environment and, in one way or another, this is how
animals behavior function as well. The most well-known experiment made in this
direction is that of Pavlovs dog that got to associate the sound of a bell with the meals it
received precisely because Pavlov rang a bell each time he fed the dog. Even more
though, for the behaviorists out there, the human being has absolutely no free will and
that everything about the human behavior is a result of an external stimuli (such as in the
case of the above-mentioned dog).

On the other hand though, humanists think the opposite. For this branch of psychology
professionals, the human being has free will and it is responsible for its behavior and
actions. For them, the human behavior is shaped by the inner desire each human being
has when it comes to making the world a better place. In this light of things, humans are
completely different from animals precisely because they can think, feel and speak about
it. Unlike the behaviorist approach that uses laboratory experiments, this direction uses
interviews and individual observations as main methods of research.

Up to the moment, psychologists and researchers in the field of psychology from all over
the world have not agreed 100% on which of these approaches is more truthful to the
actual nature of the human beings behavior. In the end, the choice has to be made by
each psychology professional out there, according to his/her own beliefs when it comes
to this topic. While there can be a common bridge between the two of the directions in
which human behavior studies split themselves, the truth is that nobody has managed to
create a verifiable and palpable theory that would combine both of these schools of
thought.