Question: When we can change behavior, who then has the right to decide what behavior we change it to?

One of the big criticisms of behaviorism is the ability to modify someone’s behavior without their participation or even their knowledge. This always brings up the idea of ‘brainwashing’, or ‘1984’ and ‘big brother’. While these may be over-reactions, a real question is: When we can change behavior, who then has the right to decide what behavior we change it to?

There are those who would argue that any attempt to change another person’s behavior without their consent is unethical. After all,behavior modification techniques can be used for bad as well as good – one could easily imagine a totalitarian government using them to keep its citizens in line.

On the other hand, there are those who would argue that if we can change behavior for the better, then we have a responsibility to do so. After all, many people have harmful behaviors that they are unable or unwilling to change on their own – and these behaviors can often have a negative impact on society as a whole.

So who is right? There is no easy answer to this question. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of personal morality. What do you believe is right or wrong when it comes to changing another person’s behavior? Only you can decide that for yourself.

One of the big criticisms of behaviorism is the ability to modify someone’s behavior without their participation or even their knowledge. This always brings up the idea of ‘brainwashing’, or ‘1984’ and ‘big brother’. While these may be over-reactions, a real question is: When we can change behavior, who then has the right to decide what behavior we change it to?

There are those who would argue that any attempt to change another person’s behavior without their consent is unethical. After all,behavior modification techniques can be used for bad as well as good – one could easily imagine a totalitarian government using them to keep its citizens in line.

On the other hand, there are those who would argue that if we can change behavior for the better, then we have a responsibility to do so. After all, many people have harmful behaviors that they are unable or unwilling to change on their own – and these behaviors can often have a negative impact on society as a whole.

So who is right? There is no easy answer to this question. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of personal morality. What do you believe is right or wrong when it comes to changing another person’s behavior? Only you can decide that for yourself.

One of the main criticisms of behaviorism is that it can be used to modify someone's behavior without their knowledge or consent. This raises the specter of 'brainwashing' or 'big brother' scenarios, as seen in novels like 1984. While these may be over-reactions, they do raise a real question: when we can change behavior, who has the right to decide what that behavior should be?

This question becomes even more complicated when we consider that some behaviors may be harmful to the individual or to others. Should we then try to change those behaviors, even if the person does not want to change them? And if so, how do we do so without violating their rights?

These are complex ethical questions with no easy answers. But they are worth considering, because the ability to change behavior - for good or for ill - is something that we now have, and will only continue to have as our understanding of behaviorism grows.