Teleological behaviorism
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. (April 2012) |
Teleological behaviorism is a variety of behaviorism. Like all other forms of behaviorism it relies heavily on attention to outwardly observable human behaviors. Similarly to other branches of behaviorism, teleological behaviorism takes into account cognitive processes, like emotions and thoughts, but does not view these as empirical causes of behavior. Teleological behaviorism instead looks at these emotions and thoughts as behaviors themselves. Teleological behaviorism differs from other branches of Behaviorism through its focus on human capacity for self-control and also emphasizes the concept of free will.[1]
Overview
The founder of teleological behaviorism is
On the subject of self-control, Rachlin states that it is less of a subject of knowing that one should not do something and more a matter of patience. He considers those with strong self-control simply more “long-term behaviorally-oriented” or “far-sighted.” This concept of considering further implications in the future is related to many other fields, particularly Rachlin’s second interest of Behavioral Economics. He likens the ability to weight the options of the future to avoiding making short-term poor investments in exchange for profitable, more beneficial ones at a much later point in time.
Many people[who?] criticize Rachlin for his perspective, however, as his concepts of simply considering the potential reactions to certain situations over a longer time frame have been hailed as being closer to a self-help practice of making good investments and life choices than it is close to an actual Psychological practice. His main counter to this argument is that through this approach he has managed to help people by preparing them for potential negative outcomes in the future and trained them to recognize their own potential outcomes behind their actions.[4]
Rachlin also has a different viewpoint on the subject of
References
Sources
- Mele, Alfred (1994). "Teleological Behaviorism: A Review of Howard Rachlin's Behavior and Mind: The Roots of Modern Psychology". Behavior and Philosophy. 23 (2): 69–71. JSTOR 27759330.
- Rachlin, Howard (2007). "Free Will From the Viewpoint of Teleological Behaviorism". Behavioral Sciences and the Law. 25 (2): 235–250. PMID 17393402.
- Psychologistworld.com (2011). "Teleological Behaviorism". Psychologistworld.com. Retrieved 1 April 2012.