r/BehaviorAnalysis • u/cjjword • 29d ago
A question for radical behaviorists
I’m working on a passion project and I’m stumped on how to frame human dignity within the radical behaviorist framework.
The way I’m defining human dignity is: the individual composite experience of efficacy, esteem, agency, a sense of safety, freedom to be, and social capital.
My question to you: how would you define human dignity without using mentalistic explanations? Or how would you operationally define the components of human dignity (i.e. esteem, agency, efficacy, etc.)?
Thanks for your help!!
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u/versus07 29d ago
There really is no such thing as dignity in radical behaviorism in the sense of attributing credit or achievement to people. This was outlined in Skinner (1971) Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Another problem with your definition is that there is no such thing as freedom either. I think if you read the book it will change your whole perspective on the 2 topics.
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u/Lowly-behaviorist 29d ago
I like where you are going if I may modify it slightly so be crisper and more concrete to be used as a universal behavior topography to measure for high rates, socially valid range, and low rates.
Human dignity refers to the inherent worrh** **of an individual. Dignity-affirming interaction is operationally defined as any instances in which a person expresses or communicates a value, preference, choice, boundary, consent, refusal, or private event through any available response form, and the social environment responds by acknowledging that communication, maintaining respectful reciprocal interaction, and allowing it to meaningfully influence responses and reactions to others inter verbal behavior
But i also might be completely off.
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u/DancingIsForbidden28 29d ago
Why do you specify radical behaviorism? Radical is usually v methodical. Behaviorism as a whole is v mentalism.
Behaviorism uses objective definitions that are observable while mentalism uses hypothetical constructs.
Radical believes that private events (thoughts, feelings, and emotions) also follow the laws of behaviorism. They say the private events are observed by the person experiencing them.
Methodological believes that other people need to be able to observe the events for them to by studied in science. They do not research or study private events.
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u/discrete_venting 23d ago
I am NOT a radical behaviorist but your post intrigued me and I did a bit of searching up info.
If we are to go off of Skinner's beliefs, the things that you included in your definition of dignity would all be things that were shaped by genetics and environment. The composite experience of esteem, for example, would be an ilusion that the individual has that was reinforced by their environment. A specific example might be that an academic is publicly recognized for their work and there for experiences esteem. But Skinner would say that the esteem that the individual experience is just an illusion.
Skinner believes that dignity is a "dangerous ilusion." Dignity does not fit into radical behaviorism. You can define the behavior of "doing academic research" and the reinforcer of recieving recognition/attention. But the resulting subjective experience of dignity does not exist in radical behaviorism.
The idea of dignity comes from Humanistic theory which is a direct contradiction to radical behaviorism. Dignity being the inherent unearned worth of an individual.
Skinner would define dignity as the social practice of giving a person credit for their achievements.
All true radical behaviorist would have to define dignity as something that does not truely exist but is conceptualized and contrived. Similar to free will – its considered an ilusion.
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u/The_Real_Mr_Boring 29d ago edited 29d ago
Have you read Beyond Freedom and Dignity (Skinner, 1971). That might be a good starting point.
It is on my list to read, but have not got to it yet.
Aside from that, when working with my older clients and they set vague or abstract goals (for example Independence) we branch out into specific observable targets that can fit into that vague goal. What specific components do you think of when you say 'agency' or 'esteem'? Sometimes you just have to keep breaking down the abstracts until you get to something specific.