2.7.5. Behavioural Approach

This approach does not give importance to the internal dynamics of behaviour. The behaviourists believe in data, which they feel are definable, observable, and measurable.

The Behavioural Approach focuses on observable actions rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This means that psychologists using this approach study what people do rather than what they think or feel. The idea is that behaviors can be measured and affected by environmental stimuli. This contrasts with approaches that delve into feelings, thoughts, and abstract concepts.

Think of a child learning to ride a bicycle. The Behavioural Approach would focus on the child's actions—how they pedal, balance, and steer—rather than what they are thinking or feeling about riding. The child learns through trial and feedback, primarily through being told how to adjust their actions based on successes or failures.

Thus, they focus on learning of stimulus-response connections and their reinforcement. According to them, personality can be best understood as the response of an individual to the environment.

In the Behavioural Approach, learning occurs through the interactions between stimuli (external factors) and responses (behaviors coming from those stimuli). For instance, if a child is rewarded for being polite, they are more likely to repeat that behavior because it has been positively reinforced. Essentially, the approach posits that personality develops through a series of learned responses shaped by rewards and punishments in the environment.

Consider how a puppy learns commands. When it sits on command and receives a treat, the treat acts as reinforcement for the behavior. Over time, the puppy associates the command with the expected outcome (a treat), shaping its behavior. Similarly, our personalities can be seen as a collection of responses that have been learned and reinforced over time.

Each response is a behaviour, which is emitted to satisfy a specific need. Thus, the core tendency that organises behaviour is the reduction of biological or social needs that energise behaviour.

According to this perspective, behavior emerges as a means to fulfill needs—whether biological (like hunger) or social (like the desire for acceptance). When an individual feels a need, they are motivated to perform actions that can meet that need. This relationship forms the basis of understanding how we acquire and display our personality traits.

Imagine a student who studies hard for an exam because they aspire to gain the approval of their parents and secure a good job in the future. Their need for approval and future success drives their study habits, demonstrating how behavior can serve to satisfy deeper needs.

This is accomplished through responses (behaviours) that are reinforced.

In the Behavioral Approach, actions are learned and maintained largely through reinforcement. When a behavior is rewarded, it becomes more likely to occur in the future. There are various forms of reinforcement—positive (adding a rewarding stimulus) and negative (removing an aversive stimulus)—that influence the persistence of these behaviors.

Consider a child who cleans their room and is praised by their parents. The positive feedback serves as reinforcement, encouraging them to clean their room again. Similarly, our behaviors in society—like volunteering or being kind—can also receive reinforcement from social praise, which reinforces the likelihood of that behavior happening again.

The principles of these theories have been widely used in developing personality theories, but they miss out the internal thought processes that may also influence behavior.

While the Behavioral Approach provides valuable insights into observed behaviors, it has been critiqued for neglecting cognitive processes—such as thoughts, beliefs, and emotions—that also shape our personality and behavior. Thus, it may not give a full picture of why people behave the way they do. This is where other approaches, such as cognitive and humanistic perspectives, attempt to complement the understanding of personality.

Think about how we react in social situations. A person may be socially anxious, which influences their behavior in gatherings, but the Behavioral Approach would focus solely on their actions rather than considering their inner emotions or thoughts about those situations. Hence, understanding the whole person requires looking beyond just observable behaviors.

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