Things that happen within a person
Things that happen within a person are frequently irrelevant unless they can be observed. My behavior is frequently influenced by the surroundings to which I am exposed at various points in my life. As a result, in most circumstances, changing my surroundings is required for me to modify my behavior. Skinner's Radical Behaviorism theory supports my action, which claims that the immediate repercussions of one's behavior strongly influence how the individual behaves (Keller & Schoenfeld, 2014). This essay examines how Skinner's radical behavior theory has influenced my life in depth.
When I was a little kid
When I was a little kid, I had formed a habit of going to play with my friends in the nearby stream. I loved swimming; therefore, I felt the idea was good. Every single time that I found myself free after school, I would pick my friends and go to the stream to swim. Being the youngest of my three friends, they were always cautious about my actions at the stream, and at some point, they would deny me access to the stream if they felt it was unsound. I formed it a habit that after school, I was incapable of doing my assignments. It led to my poor class performance hence severe punishment at school. All did not augur well with me, and at some point, I started developing the fear of going to school given that I would be whacked every single day I submitted incomplete homework.
My father were summoned and requested
My father were summoned and requested to monitor my conduct while I was at home. Given that I was living with a single parent, it was difficult for my father to check on me since he was always at work. When he came home, there was little time we spent together since in most cases I was asleep by the time he arrived. Only on the weekends is when he was at home. His weekday tight schedule made it impossible for him to confirm whether I was doing my homework as required by my teachers.
One week after my dad was summoned
One week after my dad was summoned by my class teacher, he requested for a week off work. It is from this that he discovered my routine after school. From that day, every time that I came from school I found he had bought me candies only to have them once I was done with my homework and never went to the stream. Given that I loved candies, I opted for doing my homework so that I could not miss the reward. Over the one week that I had time with my dad, my performance in class got better. My class teacher recognized my improvement and therefore started buying me candies for every question I answered right in class. After two months, I was on the top of my class.
It is notable that my improvement was a result
It is notable that my improvement was a result of the reward that was attached to it which in this case was the candies. My behavior was significantly influenced by the consequences, for example, failing to go to the stream and instead of doing my homework would result in being given a candies. My action got influenced by an external factor just as Skinner puts it that behavior gets determined by a person's reaction to different stimuli.
In my opinion, B.F. Skinner and his theory
In my opinion, B.F. Skinner and his theory of Radical Behaviorism is a reality given that most individuals are often made to react in a given way not because of the inner value but due to what they are to get in return (Baum, 2017). As for my case, since I was to receive candies, I had to behave in a manner that would lead to getting it. Another scenario is that of people going to work. If not for the reward in the form of salary, nobody would go to work every day. I, therefore, admit that Skinner's theory indeed manifest itself in our daily interactions. It also helps to understand why people behave in a certain way without them getting forced. Skinners teachings still great applied by different parenting as well as educational approaches to guide how children grow up and the manner in which they interact with their environment.
In conclusion it is noted that a person's behavior
In conclusion it is noted that a person's behavior is determined by the consequences they are likely to encounter. In the case that a reward gets withdrawn, the behavior often goes extinct. It explains why my performance would be different if my father and the teacher removed the present of candies that they gave me. Such explanations make the ideologies of an individual having an inner man to get viewed as irrelevant. The behavior of a person is not as a result of the individual free will but the consequences. It also explains why a person would go to work. If the reward were to get withdrawn, then nobody would have availed them for work. It is for this reasons that I believe that skinners radical behaviorism theory plays a significant role in the manner that we conduct ourselves as opposed to the free will as advocated by several behavioral theorists such as Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow.
References
Baum, W. M. (2017). Understanding behaviorism: Behavior, culture, and evolution. John Wiley & Sons.
Keller, F. S., & Schoenfeld, W. N. (2014). Principles of psychology: A systematic text in the science of behavior (Vol. 2). BF Skinner Foundation.
