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A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.John Broadus Watson.

A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.: John Broadus Watson. Iwas born near Greenville, South Carolina, in 1878. I entered Furman University in 1894 at the age of 16, as a sub-freshman, and stayed there five years. Little of my college life interested me. Where to go to a university? I went to the University of Chicago with $50 in my pocket. I met Dewey, I met Angell, and I met John Manly. I entered then, and felt at once that I had come to the right place. Mr. Angell's erudition, quickness of thought, and facility with words early captured my somewhat backward leaning towards psychology. On the whole, my Chicago experience was most satisfactory. At Chicago, I first began a tentative formulation of my later point of view. I never wanted to use human subjects. I hated to serve as a subject. I didn't like the stuffy, artificial instructions given to subjects. I always was uncomfortable and acted unnaturally. With animals I was at home. I felt that, in studying them, I was keeping close to biology with my feet on the ground. More and more the thought presented itself: Can't I find out by watching their behavior everything that the other students are finding out by using O's? I still believe as firmly as ever in the general behavioristic position I took overtly in 1912. I think it has influenced psychology. Strangely enough, I think it has temporarily slowed down psychology because the older instructors would not accept it wholeheartedly, and consequently they failed to present it convincingly to their classes. The youngsters did not get a fair presentation, hence they are not embarking wholeheartedly upon a behavioristic career, and yet they will no longer accept the teachings of James, Titchener, and Angell. I honestly think that psychology has been sterile for several years. We need younger instructors who will teach objective psychology with no reference to the mythology most of us present-day psychologists have been brought up upon. When this day comes, psychology will have a renaissance greater than that which occurred in science in the Middle Ages. I believe as firmly as ever in the future of behaviorism--behaviorism as a companion of zoology, physiology, psychiatry, and physical chemistry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.John Broadus Watson.

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Publisher
Clark University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 1936 American Psychological Association
Pages
271 –281
DOI
10.1037/11247-012
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

Iwas born near Greenville, South Carolina, in 1878. I entered Furman University in 1894 at the age of 16, as a sub-freshman, and stayed there five years. Little of my college life interested me. Where to go to a university? I went to the University of Chicago with $50 in my pocket. I met Dewey, I met Angell, and I met John Manly. I entered then, and felt at once that I had come to the right place. Mr. Angell's erudition, quickness of thought, and facility with words early captured my somewhat backward leaning towards psychology. On the whole, my Chicago experience was most satisfactory. At Chicago, I first began a tentative formulation of my later point of view. I never wanted to use human subjects. I hated to serve as a subject. I didn't like the stuffy, artificial instructions given to subjects. I always was uncomfortable and acted unnaturally. With animals I was at home. I felt that, in studying them, I was keeping close to biology with my feet on the ground. More and more the thought presented itself: Can't I find out by watching their behavior everything that the other students are finding out by using O's? I still believe as firmly as ever in the general behavioristic position I took overtly in 1912. I think it has influenced psychology. Strangely enough, I think it has temporarily slowed down psychology because the older instructors would not accept it wholeheartedly, and consequently they failed to present it convincingly to their classes. The youngsters did not get a fair presentation, hence they are not embarking wholeheartedly upon a behavioristic career, and yet they will no longer accept the teachings of James, Titchener, and Angell. I honestly think that psychology has been sterile for several years. We need younger instructors who will teach objective psychology with no reference to the mythology most of us present-day psychologists have been brought up upon. When this day comes, psychology will have a renaissance greater than that which occurred in science in the Middle Ages. I believe as firmly as ever in the future of behaviorism--behaviorism as a companion of zoology, physiology, psychiatry, and physical chemistry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Published: Dec 11, 2006

Keywords: John Broadus Watson; autobiography; history; psychology; behaviorism

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