John B. Watson brought behaviorism into the
forefront of psychology in 1913 when he asserted that psychology must abandon
its focus on subjective “mentalistic” concepts and instead focus exclusively on
behavior (Ashford and LeCroy, 2010). According to John Watson, psychology as the behaviorist views it is a purely
objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the
prediction and control of behavior. Introspection forms no essential part of
its methods, nor is the scientific value of its data dependent upon the
readiness with which they lend themselves to interpretation in terms of
consciousness. The behaviorist, in his efforts to get a unitary scheme of
animal response, recognizes no dividing line between man and brute. The
behavior of man, with all of its refinement and complexity, forms only a part
of the behaviorist's total scheme of investigation (University of Utah).
Psychodynamic theory in contrast to
social learning theory: According to Ashford and LeCroy all human behavior,
according to Freud, is driven by a special kind of energy referred to as the
libido. The libido is in constant search of pleasure. This “libido theory” is
considered the cornerstone of contemporary psychoanalysis (St Clair, 2004). “With
this theory, all human behavior could be related to the driving force of the
sexual instinct and the counterforces that kept it in check”
In contrast and comparison, social
learning theory seems to work on a solution to the behavior in the present or
in the here and now, whereas psychodynamic theory tends to change an internal
behavior learned in the past. Both theories hold validity but one is more time
consuming than the other one.
Ashford, Jose B. & LeCroy, Craig Winston (2010). Human Behavior in the Social Environment A Multidimensional Perspective. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
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