Classical Conditioning and BehaviorismWhen I was taking psychology classes I always liked learning about behaviorism because it seems so cut and dry; if anyone wanted to gain a clear understanding of his fellow man, all he would have to do is sit back and observe. With behaviorism there is no Id, Ego or Superego to take into account, just raw behavior. While this approach seems simple enough, I believe it can only offer an incomplete window into how people function and react to various things on a daily basis. I don't believe behaviorism alone can define people based on their interaction with the world. environment in which they are presented. Freud was also a psychologist who expressed concerns about this. Freud believed that while environmental factors help shake who we are as human beings, the subconscious mind is far more influential in shaping personality and behavior. Behaviorism and conditioning have their share of success stories especially when used to curb undesirable habits such as smoking. and drinking, but they also had their dark moments as seen in 1920 with John Watson and his little experiments whose protagonist was a boy nicknamed Little Albert. During Watson's experiments to help explain conditioning, during his experiments Watson exposed Albert to a number of animals and recorded Albert's initial reactions which were almost nil. Watson then began to expose the same animals to Albert, and to make loud bangs which frightened Albert at the same time. Eventually Albert began to cry at the sight of the animals even when they were not seen at the same time as the loud bang. Watson thought that Albert's lack of visible emotion upon his first exposure to animals was based on... half of the sheet of paper ...acts like asking children to be quiet because it's almost time for bed. Although much of behaviorism appears to be based on common sense, Skinner Watson and others who contributed to its study and development have forever changed the way science looks at, treats, and explains humans and how we behave. . Works CitedSkinner, B.F. (1997) . BF Skinner a lifetime. Washington DC: American Pychological Association.Watson, J.B. (1930) Behaviorism. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Skinner, B. F. (1978). Reflections on behaviorism and society. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Princeton Hall, Inc.Huffman, K. (2012) Psychology in Action, 10th edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Whiley and Sons Inc. Bartlett, T.B., (2012). The sad saga of "Little Albert" significantly worsens the reputation of a researcher. Chronicle of higher education. 58,2,3. Possession of DMACC Libraries print.