Question

1.Skinner emphasized a scientific approach to the study of behavior, in part, because individual behavior is so unique. Understanding what the average person might do may tell us nothing about a certain individual. However, a science of personality that treats everyone as unique seems to become hopelessly complex, because we must study everyone individually. Does this really seem like a scientific approach, and whether it is or not, can it really help us to understand other people? Provide an example that illustrates the use of operant conditioning to shape your own personality. Can the same principles that shaped your personality be generalized to understanding the personality of others?

Answer 1

One of the most famous behaviourist psychologists James B. Watson once told that give me a dozen fully formed babies and I would make them whoever you want them to become such as doctors, engineers etc. This is a very strong statement or challenge to a world which believed that genetic disposition decides one's personality and behaviours. Behaviourism believes that anyone could be conditioned to live in anyway.
B.F. Skinner is the best who strengthened three Behaviourism school to a great extend with his famous Operant Conditioning where he introduces the role of rewards, punishments, reinforcements, both positive and negative to condition people. Today's social make up is the extension of the Operant Conditioning principle. People like to be appreciated, rewarded and recognised for whatever good things that they do. Society and family restrict unwanted behaviours by stopping few social and family provisions and privileges in order to motivate the person to exhibit an expected behaviour. Society and family also punish people in order to prevent some behaviour from happening.
I used to come late too my house at night and my mom's kept telling me to come home early. Then one day she told me that I won't get my pocket money if I don't listen to her. What's important? My pocket money. I changed my behaviour of coming late and started to come on time. It happens in most of the households. So, it's very obvious that Operant Conditioning is applicable for every person on the earth. Operant Conditioning is used to condition behaviour in various fields and spheres of life such as government, sports, law and order, educational institutions etc. It's applicable for both new behaviour and to strengthen the existing behaviours.