Avoidance Situation

McConnell, James V., 1925-1990Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.2

Word count: 93K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Avoidance Situation by James V. McConnellAuthor: McConnell, James V., 1925-1990,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 5, 2019

Editor's review

Avoidance Situation is a short literary work by the American psychologist James V. McConnell, classified by Project Gutenberg under American and Canadian literature. McConnell is known for his research in behaviorist psychology, and this background gives the piece a distinct experimental-psychology atmosphere: it presents themes of learning, avoidance, and conditioning in narrative form, reading with a science-fictional setup while implicitly reflecting on the plasticity of human behavior. It is short and well suited as a sample of the intersection of psychology and literature, and for classroom use in discussing how behaviorist discourse enters popular narrative. Note that it is a short story, not a monograph, and does not serve as a systematic psychology textbook; readers who want a deeper understanding of behaviorist theory should seek out a professional introduction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the intersection of behaviorist psychology and literature
Teachers and students who need a short English text for classroom discussion
Readers who enjoy mid-twentieth-century American short science fiction
Beginners who want a light text to see how psychological concepts are narrated

Not a good fit for

Psychology students seeking systematic study of behaviorist theory
Novel readers who prefer long, fully developed plots and characterization
Readers who need a Chinese translation and are uncomfortable with English originals

Reading tips

Read the story once, then look back at what 'avoidance situation' specifically refers to in the plot.
While reading, note where experimental terminology meets narrative language, and keep brief notes.
Read alongside introductory material on behaviorist psychology and examine the limits of literary expression.
After reading, discuss in a book club what attitude the story takes toward behavior control.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this work a psychology paper or a story?

According to Project Gutenberg's classification, it falls under American and Canadian literature and is a short literary work, not an academic paper. Although the author McConnell had a psychology research background, readers should not treat it as a systematic theoretical work.

Do I need a psychology background before reading?

No specialist background is needed. The story is short and in English, and general English reading ability suffices. Familiarity with basic concepts such as conditioning and avoidance learning will make its irony and setup easier to appreciate.

Is it suitable for classroom teaching?

It works well as a short supplementary text for discussing how psychological discourse enters literary narrative, or for practicing close reading of a short English story. But it does not serve as a textbook, and teachers will need to supply theoretical background and discussion questions.

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About the author

McConnell, James V., 1925-1990 Author

James V. McConnell (1925–1990) was an author known for his psychologically and behaviorally oriented fiction, whose works often revolve around themes of crime and punishment, avoidance, and survival. Three of his works are held in this collection: Life Sentence, Avoidance Situation, and Nor Dust Corrupt. The titles suggest that his writing tends to focus on characters' psychological states and turning points of fate in extreme circumstances. Because public information is limited, details of his life, nationality, and education cannot be reliably confirmed, and this introduction can only be sketched from the works themselves. Overall, McConnell's writing style favors compact narrative and situational tension, presenting inner conflict through concrete scenes and balancing psychological suspense with behavioral description. Though few in number, his works offer readers a distinctive perspective on how individuals respond under pressure and in the face of choice, and they retain a certain value for reading and study.