Available for download at the Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP:
Dentello, Frederico. (2009). Analysis of the concept of self in James and Skinner. Dissertation for Master’s Degree, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.
Abstract
This is a comparative study of the concepts of self as formulated by the psychologists William James (1842-1910) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990). The source for James’ concept was the chapter “The consciousness of self” of his book The principles of psychology, from which I described the constituents of the empirical self, the author’s reflection on the pure ego, and the feelings, emotions and actions of the self. In Skinner’s case, the sources were the section “The individual as a whole” of the book Science and human behavior, the chapter “Thinking” of the book Verbal behavior, and a few other articles; I discussed the concepts of self-control and thinking according to radical behaviorism in order to define the self as an organized system of responses. Then I translated James’ concept of self into references to contingencies of reinforcement: the material self in terms of phylogenesis and ontogenesis, the social self in terms of stimulus control, the spiritual self in terms of a repertoire shaped by the verbal community, and the pure ego in terms of the three levels of selection of human behavior. I proposed possible influences of James on Skinner, based on relations between their psychological theories: the conception of multiple selves, the rejection of the conscience as a substance, the affinity of radical empiricism and radical behaviorism, and the idea of evolution of culture. I reflected on the attitude of James and Skinner towards relating empirical data to general principles, on their classification of psychology among the natural sciences, and on the reasons for a supposed death of Jamesian psychology and radical behaviorism. Finally, I suggested some questions to further investigations.
Keywords
B. F. Skinner, behavior analysis, consciousness, contingencies of reinforcement, evolution of culture, radical behaviorism, radical empiricism, self, self-control, stream of thought, subjectivity, thinking, verbal behavior, verbal community, William James.
Dentello, Frederico. (2009). Analysis of the concept of self in James and Skinner. Dissertation for Master’s Degree, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.
Abstract
This is a comparative study of the concepts of self as formulated by the psychologists William James (1842-1910) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990). The source for James’ concept was the chapter “The consciousness of self” of his book The principles of psychology, from which I described the constituents of the empirical self, the author’s reflection on the pure ego, and the feelings, emotions and actions of the self. In Skinner’s case, the sources were the section “The individual as a whole” of the book Science and human behavior, the chapter “Thinking” of the book Verbal behavior, and a few other articles; I discussed the concepts of self-control and thinking according to radical behaviorism in order to define the self as an organized system of responses. Then I translated James’ concept of self into references to contingencies of reinforcement: the material self in terms of phylogenesis and ontogenesis, the social self in terms of stimulus control, the spiritual self in terms of a repertoire shaped by the verbal community, and the pure ego in terms of the three levels of selection of human behavior. I proposed possible influences of James on Skinner, based on relations between their psychological theories: the conception of multiple selves, the rejection of the conscience as a substance, the affinity of radical empiricism and radical behaviorism, and the idea of evolution of culture. I reflected on the attitude of James and Skinner towards relating empirical data to general principles, on their classification of psychology among the natural sciences, and on the reasons for a supposed death of Jamesian psychology and radical behaviorism. Finally, I suggested some questions to further investigations.
Keywords
B. F. Skinner, behavior analysis, consciousness, contingencies of reinforcement, evolution of culture, radical behaviorism, radical empiricism, self, self-control, stream of thought, subjectivity, thinking, verbal behavior, verbal community, William James.
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