1. The earlier psychologists use 'autonomous inner man' to explain human behaviour. It is the source of human behaviour. It has absolute freedom and thus fully responsible for all actions, good and bad. Because it is hidden from public views it has always been attacked for having no scientific status.
2. Then came the American behaviourists. Watson is acknowledged as the greatest during his time. To him human behaviour is a kind of action and reaction, stimulus and response. Human mind plays no part in human behaviour. Reflex action is taken as the standard; introduce an electric shock to a man's hand, he would immediately respond by quick withdrawal of the hand. Human instinct also has no place in his system.
3. Without involving human mind and instinct, Watson's system slowly losing its popularity.
4. B.F.Skinner is another great American behaviourist. Human mind and instinct come back as part of the source of human behaviour. Skinner's main focus is on environments.
5. To Skinner, Environment and not the Autonomous Man that controls human behaviour.
6. Conflict? Apparently. But if we recognise the varieties of human behaviour, we could assign different source to different categories of behaviour. Some to environment, some to 'inner man' and some to instinct.
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