Behaviorism in Social-Historical Perspective

This is a review of the book, "Control: A History of Behavioral Psychology" (see record 1998-06687-000). The author, Mills, links developments in psychology, both in the research and the applied fields, with their interaction and influence on social and political events in American society. A major theme running through the book is that there is a sharp distinction between "behaviorism" and "neobehaviorism." Throughout the book Mills points out the differences between these two approaches. Mills also presents a systematic analysis of the theories, research, and implications of virtually every psychologist who published research or theoretical material from the early 1900s to the present, with possible implications for or against behaviorism. The major attraction of this book is that it is well-written. Therefore, the reader becomes involved in the presentation, and, thus, agrees with some contentions and disagrees with others. Almost every idea, theory, and observation in this book is backed up with citations from articles and books appropriate to the presentation. In the final chapter Mills demonstrates how the behavioristic approach influenced all aspects of psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Control: A History of Behavioral Psychology, is indeed a very scholarly and provacative book, and hence a major contribution to the field of behaviorism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)