Behaviorism
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Summary
The main tenet of behaviorism is that psychology should not study consciousness but only behavior, setting behavior and consciousness in complete opposition. In terms of research method, behaviorism advocates objective experimental methods rather than introspection. Behaviorism is a Western political science trend and school that emphasizes the use of positivist methods from the natural sciences to provide systematic, empirical, and causal explanations of the processes of social and political life.
The development of behaviorism can be divided into early behaviorism, neobehaviorism, and new neobehaviorism. The leading figure of early behaviorism is Watson; the main representative of neobehaviorism is Skinner; and new neobehaviorism is represented by Bandura.
Formed in the early twentieth century and prevalent in the United States and other Western countries in the 1950s and 1960s, behaviorism as a viewpoint advocates scientific study of political behavior, especially through the use of quantitative methods, aiming to establish a political science based entirely on empirical data. As a research method, it takes political behavior as the starting point of politics and the basic unit of political analysis, and advocates that politics should shift from studying the nature of state institutions, law, and political rights to studying political behavior. It opposes the historical and legal research methods of traditionalist political science.
This book is the representative work of Watson, a leading figure of behaviorism.
Editor's review
From a professional standpoint, the value of this book lies not only in its historical position—it fundamentally changed the direction of psychology in the early twentieth century and gave rise to later neobehaviorism, including Skinner's—but also in the enduring influence of its ideas. Watson's advocacy of experimental methods, his pursuit of practicality, and his emphasis on environment in shaping behavior have left deep marks in fields such as education, management, advertising, and behavioral intervention. Reading this book is like experiencing a revolution in psychological paradigms firsthand, helping readers understand the origins of many modern schools of psychology.
Readers should, however, also read with a critical eye. Watson's views have drawn much criticism in later years for their extreme environmental determinism and their rejection of internal psychological processes. Modern psychology has developed into a more inclusive and pluralistic discipline. The best way to read this book, therefore, is to place it in its historical context—appreciating its pioneering boldness while also considering its limitations—so as to grasp the development of psychological thought more fully.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the history of psychology and the evolution of schools of thought
- Practitioners in education, advertising, or behavioral design who want to understand the roots of behavioral theory
- Readers who enjoy classic academic works with a polemical edge and strong, clear viewpoints
- Students of philosophy or the social sciences who wish to broaden their understanding of behavioral science
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking the latest empirical research in psychology or practical counseling techniques
- Readers who completely reject extreme environmental determinism and cannot accept historical limitations
Reading tips
- It is recommended to begin with the translator's preface or related introductions to understand the historical background of behaviorism and its later development, thereby establishing a reading framework.
- While reading, focus on how Watson constructs his theoretical system and rebuts the structuralism and functionalism of his time, and appreciate his argumentative logic.
- After reading, compare and reflect on later schools such as cognitive psychology and humanistic psychology to form a more three-dimensional understanding.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 导言
- 第一章 行为主义是什么？——新旧心理学的比较
- 此类概念的一个例子
- 行为主义者的出现
- 行为主义者的宣言
- 行为主义者的若干具体问题
- 行为主义取向遗漏了心理学研究的任何内容吗？
- 通过观察他人来了解行为主义
- 行为主义的定义
- 刺激是什么？
- 如何扩大刺激的范围
- 行为主义者所谓的反应是什么
- 反应的一般分类
- 行为主义只是研究心理问题的方法论取向，抑或行为主义是心理学的一种现实体系？
- 第二章 如何研究人类行为——问题、方法、技术以及研究结果的范例
- 分析心理学的问题
- 实验控制下的观察
- 心理学问题的一般本质及其解决方案
- 刺激的替代或刺激的条件作用
- 反应的替代
- 我们能够形成或建立全新的反应吗？
- 条件反射方法：腺体反应中刺激的替代
- 腺体的差别反应
- 人类唾液反应中刺激的替代
- 其他腺体能否形成条件反射？
- 横纹肌和无纹肌反应中刺激的替代——在横纹肌的反应中
- 横纹肌和无纹肌反应中刺激的替代——在无纹肌的反应中
- 人体整体反应中的替代
- 关于刺激替代实验的小结
- 其他实验方法
- 作为一种行为主义方法的所谓“心理”测验
- 社会实验
- 通过常识性观察我们能够获得什么？
- 第三章 人体——由什么构成，怎样组合与运作
- 第一部分：使行为成为可能的身体构造
- 构成人体的各种细胞和组织
- 基因
- 遗传系统
- 人体是如何构成的
- 人体中的主要器官
- 反应器官：肌肉和腺体
- 第四章 人体（续）——由什么构成，怎样组合与运作
- 第二部分：腺体在日常行为中的作用
- 第五章 人类有本能吗？
- 第一部分：探讨才能、倾向及所谓“心理”特质的遗传
- 提出论点
- 支持这一论点的理由
- 发生心理学家对于这个问题的回答
- “心理”特质是遗传的吗？
- 结构差异和早期训练差异导致未来行为的差异
- 我们的结论
- 同卵双生子的研究能否证明环境因素极大影响了早期行为的差异？
- 存在任何的本能吗？
- 飞去来器的启示
- 心理学不再需要本能概念了
- 第六章 人类有本能吗？（续）
- 第二部分：来自人类幼儿研究的启示
- 研究人类幼儿的阻力
- 研究人类婴儿的行为
- 我们所了解的胎儿的行为
- 人类幼儿的出生资质
- 我们的结论
- 关于非习得的资质的小结
- 在本能上发生了什么
- 以动作流取代詹姆斯的“意识流”
- 第七章 情绪——我们的先天情绪有哪些，如何获得新的情绪，如何失去旧的情绪
- 第一部分：情绪的研究和相关实验概述
- 詹姆斯关于情绪之内省的观点
- 詹姆斯所谓的下金蛋的鹅
- 当前流行的情绪列表
- 行为主义者对情绪问题的研究方法
- 此类实验结果的概述
- 各类情绪反应从何而来？
- 关于情绪反应的起源和发展的实验
- 三种非习得情绪反应的证据
- 在以上三种类型之外，还有其他非习得的情绪反应吗？
- 最近对这种见解的批评
- 我们的情绪生活是如何复杂化的？
- 条件性情绪反应的泛化或迁移
- 小结
- 第八章 情绪（续）——我们的先天情绪有哪些，如何获得新的情绪，如何失去旧的情绪
- 第二部分：关于情绪如何获得、转变以及失去的进一步实验与观察
- 消除恐惧反应的各种方法
- 言语组织法
- 频繁施加刺激法
- 引进社会因素法
- 复原条件作用或无条件作用的方法
- 导致儿童条件性情绪反应的家庭因素
- 哪些情境导致儿童啼哭
- 哪些情境导致儿童发笑
- 我们是否应该在儿童身上培养消极反应？
- 用体罚来形成消极的反应
- 当前对于犯罪的惩罚方式是欧洲中世纪的遗风
- 最应该培养的情绪反应是什么？
- 引起嫉妒行为的情境是什么？
- 嫉妒行为的反应是怎样的？
- 对于父亲或母亲的嫉妒行为最早出现在什么时候？
- 一名儿童面对他年幼的弟弟会不会突然产生嫉妒行为？
- 关于嫉妒，我们能够得出什么结论吗？
- 第九章 我们的肢体习惯——它们是怎样开始的；我们如何保持和丢弃这些习惯
- 环境的转变促使习惯形成
- 对于习惯形成的步骤所做的观察
- 关于习惯发展的实例
- 习惯与条件反射的关系
- 关于学习曲线的详细说明
- 哪些因素影响肢体习惯的形成？
- 习惯形成的最终阶段
- 在行为主义者的主张下有记忆这种东西吗？
- 第十章 言语和思维——正确理解言语和思维，打破现在所谓人具有“心理”生活的说法
- 什么是言语？
- 早期的语音
- 词语组织的开始
- 言语的进一步发展
- 词语是客体和情境的替代
- 用词语代替客体有利于提高身体的效率
- 词语组织的最终阶段（动觉的）
- “记忆”，或言语习惯的保持
- 思维是什么？
- 行为主义者的思维观
- 行为主义者观点的有利证据
- 我们如何思维以及什么时候思维
- 行为是否蕴含“意义”？
- 第十一章 我们总是用言语来思维吗？——抑或我们整个身体都参与思维活动？
- 三组习惯的同时获得
- 上述规律的某些例外
- 婴儿期的习惯组织
- 记忆奶瓶的测试
- 内脏引起的整体反应中的非言语组织
- 我们可以不用词语而思维吗？
- 第十二章 人格——提出我们的人格只是习惯之产物的观点
- 关于人格的分析
- 如何研究人格
- 研究人格的各类方法
- 人格研究是否有捷径
- 成人人格的一些弱点
- 什么是“病态的”人格
- 是否存在像精神病一类的疾病？
- 如何改变人格
- 语言是改变人格的一个障碍
- 行为主义是未来一切实验伦理学的基础
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About the author
John B. Watson is the author of Behaviorism, though public information on his full English name, nationality, dates of birth and death, and other personal background is limited. What can be confirmed is that this work is classified as a philosophy title, and its Chinese translation gives Chinese-language readers access to the basic claims of behaviorism, a field at the intersection of psychology and philosophy. Judging from the title and its classification, the book develops the core position of behaviorism—that psychology should focus on observable behavior rather than introspective consciousness—and extends this into philosophical reflection on mind, language, and knowledge. Watson's writing is marked by clear theses and direct argumentation, with little personal narrative or literary embellishment; its emphasis is on redefining the object and method of psychology from a behaviorist perspective. The work has had a certain influence in related fields and is often regarded as one of the introductory texts for understanding the development of behaviorist thought. It should be noted that, since only one of his works is held in the collection, public information on Watson's fuller biography and academic career is limited, and no speculation is offered here.
