In this book, the concept of a person being a behaviorist is critically observed. The influences of the behaviorist’s environment on the observations made by the same person are also under scrutiny.
This is because the behaviorist is also a part of the society and cultural structure. In addition, the ideal perception of a behaviorist while making important observations is discussed.
All conclusions made by a behaviorist are based on the characteristics that are physically observed alone, and do not include influences of beliefs and culture (Hallman 108).
A behaviorist has to observe the actions of an individual or a group of individuals in a relationship among themselves or other people. Behaviorism is closely related to study of organisms’ response to each other’s action.
This means that the behaviorist has to observe the behavior of two organisms while he or she is a subject to influences of experience in the society.
This experience significantly influences the manner in which behavior of the individual under observation is understood (Hallman109). The behaviorist has to make observations free of the influence of culture.
Since the behaviorist is obviously under influence of culture that has nurtured him or her, objectivity is required to accomplish the task of observation. Behavior of an organism has to be observed within a specific cultural context.
The study of human behavior involves objective observation without invoking the theory of the supernatural or the unknown. A human being is an organism in a behaviorist’s perception.
This way, the behaviorist is able to observe free of cross-cultural influence (Hallman 108). To a behaviorist, a human being is an organism that reacts to the changes in its environment, and is not guided by any other external influence other than biological factors (Hallman 110).
Why Does Mead Claim That A Multiple Personality Is In A Certain Sense Normal?
Mead’s theory of self explores the concept of personality. He explains that people do not have a single personality. To mead, multiple personality is a common phenomenon among members of the society.
Multiple personality means that a person will assume the personality he or she thinks is the best for a particular situation at any moment.
A person’s behavior is modified by the impression he or she wants to make on other people with whom he or she interacts.
Depending on the impression an individual wants to make on another, one will assume different versions of self. Self means the personality of the individual whose behaviour is under scrutiny of the party on whom the impression is being made.
Since every individual wants to make different impressions on different people, every person will subconsciously assume a different personality while he or she is under observation from the party of interest.
This assumption of different selves is not an action aimed at deceiving the other party, but is a subconscious action where one seeks to modify other people’s perception of their character.
The personality that is assumed by a person depends on the role of the particular individual in the relationship that he or she wants to make an impression on (Hallman 113).
Individuals in a society often observe multiple personality where the behaviour of another person towards them seems different from the behaviour of the same person towards a different party to whom there is a different relationship.
The person under observation does not intend to be observed by the two parties at the same time, but certain preferable people are the target of the present behaviour (Hallman 115).
This multiple personality is normal since individuals will always seek to modify the reaction of the environment to their behavior. People with whom they have different relationships will observe a single individual as having different personalities.
Works Cited
Hallman, Max O.. Traversing philosophical boundaries. 4th ed. Australia: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2011. Print.