John
Watson is considered the father of behaviorism due to his
opposition to the mainstream psychological view of the
unconscious and psychoanalytic thought. To the
behaviorist, the outward expression of the self is all that
can be measured and therefore the only variable worthy of
exploration.
His
lecture at Columbia University entitled 'Psychology as the
Behaviorist Views It' has become the manifesto for behavioral
psychologists such as B.F. Skinner.
His opposition to psychoanalytic theory split the field of
psychology into two distinct and almost always oppositional
schools of thought.
The
information provided on this site is designed to support, not
replace, the relationship that exists between a patient, site
visitor, or student and his/her existing psychologist, mental
health provider or college instructor.
John
Watson is considered the father of behaviorism due to his
opposition to the mainstream psychological view of the
unconscious and psychoanalytic thought. To the
behaviorist, the outward expression of the self is all that
can be measured and therefore the only variable worthy of
exploration.