John B. Watson is the father of the behaviorist philosophy in psychology, which he launched in 1913 through the publication of an article titled "The Behaviorist Manifesto" (Watson, 2017). Behaviourism is a psychological approach that focuses on objective and scientific investigation. Hence, it is only concerned with stimulus responses that can be observed and considers all behaviors to be acquired components that are learned through interaction with the environment (Mason, 2017). According to Watson (2017), the behaviorism theory does not differentiate between the behaviors of brute and man as it seeks to portray a unitary scheme of animal response. The author goes on to explain that despite the complexity and refinement of man’s behavior, the latter only comprises part of the behaviorist wholesome investigation scheme.
Watson’s work in behaviorism was influenced by Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory, which Watson considered a psychological means of manipulating glandular secretions. When developing his behavioral approach, Watson rejected Thorndike's "Law of Effect,” because he perceived it to involve useless subjective elements. Watson’s behaviorism theory emphasizes on people’s external behavior and the reactions they have towards varied situations as he believed that the only objective means of getting insights on human actions was through analysis of human activities and behaviors (Walker, 2017).
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The person that will be analyzed based on the principles of the behavioral theory promulgated by Watson is Nelson Mandela, who was an apartheid revolutionary that hailed from South Africa. Moreover, Mandela was also known for his philanthropy and political leadership which garnered him a five-year term as the president of South Africa between 1994 and 1999. When in power, his main agenda was countering the apartheid legacy through the elimination of institutionalized racism and the creation of a platform for racial reconciliation (Sampson, 2018).
Mandela was born to a royal family among the Thembu people in Mvezo village on July 18 th , 1918. His was given the first name Rolihlahla, meaning troublemaker in the Xhosa dialect. Despite being born from a once royal bloodline, his father was a local chief, who also worked as a counselor to the monarch. Mandela’s early life was, therefore, dominated by Thembu customs. Like other boys, he herded cattle and spent most of his time outdoors. At age nine, he lost his father and shortly after, his mother took him to the “Great Place” to live under the guardianship of Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the Thembu regent. Mandela had no contact with his mother for many years but claimed that the said chief raised him like his child (Sampson, 2018).
As he attended the Methodist Mission School, Mandela’s interest in African history was undeniable. Regardless, as a child, he considered the European colonialists as benefactors that brought education and other such benefits to South Africa. Passionate about achieving milestones of becoming a community leader, Mandela furthered his education to the high school level, and later to the university to acquire a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at the university he became a vocal supporter of the war against the British, especially around the Second World War period. Afterward, he was involved in the Defiance Campaign between 1950 and 1954 as well as the Congress of the People and the Treason Trial, between 1955 and 1961. His revolutionary activity resulted in his periodic imprisonment between 1962 and 1990. Eventually, his efforts were fruitful, and apartheid ended. He was then elected to become the first president of apartheid-free South Africa in 1994 (Sampson, 2018).
Analysis of Mandela’s life from Watson’s behaviorist perspective establishes that Mandela’s adulthood revolutionary actions were reactions to the prevailing conditions in his environment. As opposed to his younger self, as an adult Mandela was better placed to fully understand colonialist activities, allowing him to brand the colonialist as oppressors rather than the benefactors he initially thought they were. His actions to revolt against apartheid in South Africa was a reaction in opposition to the inferior treatment of Africans and other nationalities living in South Africa for the benefit of the white minority. Scientifically, Watson would rationalize Mandela’s destructive behavior as a response to environmental conditions that he deemed unfair, and possibly inhumane, allowing the scientific explanation of his behavior (Walker, 2017).
Watson believed that emotional conditioning happened during childhood and the emotional principles learned then prevailed into adulthood. Mandela’s emotional state in his adulthood may be defined as defiant of Watson’s principles. Mandela appears not only to have mastered the fear-provoking stimuli in his environment but also to have overcome the said fear, mainly because of the stance that he took against apartheid at a time when many were afraid of the negative consequences that may have been associated with rebelling against the societal norms. Moreover, considering that he survived imprisonment for about 28 years, even if not continuously, Watson’s theory on rage may be disputed on the same grounds. It is likely that Mandela did not enjoy living in confinement, but his control of rage allowed him to survive his prison term and also attain his goal of stopping apartheid in South Africa. Lastly, love was an emotion that Mandela also learned to manipulate because despite being away from his mother after his father’s death, he was still able to experience the love that his guardians gave him despite the lack of their assassination with his mother (Crain, 2012).
Watson’s behavioral theory may not have accurately predicted Mandela’s life in terms of the emotional perspective of behavioral drivers. Mandela’s emotional reaction to varied situations in his life depicted an adaptive tendency, which allowed him to defy the typical responses that Watson proposes (Crain, 2012). However, the theorist’s reactive concepts governing actions that humans depict when faced with certain situations appear to be accurate in Mandela’s context. His revolutionary activities to end apartheid in South Africa were reactions to the hostile environment he had inhabited all his life. His actions sought the creation of better environmental conditions within which people could live in harmony, regardless of their racial disparities (Walker, 2017).
Therefore, Watson’s theory may require to be altered. The principles promulgated about the emotional conditioning and the effect of the same on human behavior are inaccurate. The explanations thereof should cover unique scenarios where a child masters the basics of emotion and with exposure to environmental conditions learns to manipulate their feelings to suit their needs in specific circumstances.
References
Crain, W. C. (2012). Theories of development: Concepts and applications (p. 188). TPB.
Mason, S. A. (2017). Behaviorist Theory. Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders , 1-3.
Sampson, A. (2018). Nelson Mandela: The Authorised Biography . Bentang Pustaka.
Walker, S. (2017). Learning theory and behavior modification . Routledge.
Watson, J. B. (2017). Behaviorism . Routledge.
