Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

A Brief Note on Uses for Behaviorism Related to Psychology

Andrea Eva^{* *}Correspondence: Andrea Eva, Department of Psychology, State Islamic University of Raden Intan, Lampung, Indonesia, Email:

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Description

Behavioural psychology is used in therapeutic applications in many situations. The most common way for behaviorism to be used is in the treatment of children with autism. The behavioral analysis combined with conditioning can help children with mental health conditions, such as autism, to learn new skills and techniques.

Uses for behaviorism

Behavioral perspective has some different uses, some of which are related to education and mental health.

Education: Behaviorism can be used to help students learn, such as influencing the design of lessons. For example, some teachers use constant stimulation of students learning (operating conditioning), while others focus more on creating an environment that stimulates engagement (classical conditioning) measure behaviors. Since behavioral theory is based on observable behaviors, it is sometimes even easier to compute and collect data while conducting research.

Mental health: Behavioral therapy is derived from behavioral therapy and was actually used in the treatment of autism and schizophrenia. This type of treatment improves mental health by changing problematic thoughts and behaviors. Effective therapies such as intensive behavioral intervention, behavior analysis, token economies and discrete trial training are rooted in behaviorism. These policies are often very useful in changing abusive or harmful behaviors in children and adults.

Criticisms of behaviorism: Many critics have argued that behaviorism is a dimensional approach to understanding human behavior. They claim that behavioral theories have no effect on free will or interior factors like feelings, thoughts, or feelings. For example, it is believed that behaviorism failed because it ignored the unconscious mind's thoughts, feelings, and desires, which impact people's actions. Other thinkers, such as Carl Rogers and other human psychologists, believed that behavioral theory was too rigid and limited that it failed to take personal agency into account.

Recently, biological psychology has emphasized the role that the brain and genetics play in determining and influencing human actions. Cognitive approach to psychology focuses on psychological processes such as thinking, decision making, language and problem solving. In both cases, behaviorism neglects these processes and influences only observable behaviors to be studied. Behavioral psychology is also not the cause of other types of practice that occur without the use of reinforcement and punishment. Furthermore, individuals and animals can adapt their behavior when new information is introduced, even if that behavior is established by reinforcement.

Effect of behaviorism: Many thinkers have influenced behavioral psychology. In addition to those already mentioned, there are many eminent theorists and psychologists who have left an indelible mark on behavioral psychology. Among them were Edward Thorndike, a pioneering psychologist who described the principle of influence, and Clark Hull, who proposed the learning drive theory. There are several therapies fundamental to behavioral psychology. Although behavioral psychology has largely considered the background position after 1950, its principles are still important.

Even today, behavior analysis is often used as a therapeutic technique to help children with autism and developmental delays acquire new skills. It often involves processes such as shaping (rewarding approximations close to the desired behavior) and chaining (breaking down a task into smaller parts, and then teaching and capturing the next steps).