January 24, 2016

January 24, 2016

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader,

Skinner writes in “Beyond Freedom and Dignity” (1971, p.24) that “almost all our major problems involve human behavior and they cannot be solved by physical or biological technology alone.” He is right, but he could have been more specific. In this book he addresses our misunderstanding about human behavior in general, but he doesn’t single out our verbal behavior as our biggest problem.  Certainly, “what is needed is a technology of behavior”, but without getting a technology of spoken communication, we will not get such a technology. The science of human behavior requires another way of talking. Our old way of talking is riddled with concepts which are imagined and therefore cannot bring us in touch with reality.  

In Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) we are in constant pain and anguish about our lives. We accept forceful ways of talking as the norm as we don’t understand how to maintain an interaction which is free of aversive stimulation.  Only such a conversation is Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB).  The role of the environment in explaining behavior is obscured due to explanatory fictions perpetuated by our way of talking.  In any conversation a selection process is at work. Depending on the presence or the absence of aversive stimuli different behaviors will be selected. This evolutionary process determines that although there is a place for SVB within every culture, NVB is mostly reinforced due to hostile environments.  Spreading knowledge of behavioral science is important, but as long as our speaking and listening behaviors continue to be traced to “states of mind, feelings, traits of character, human nature and so on” we will engage in NVB.  

To engage in SVB, we will have to become scientific about how we talk. SVB is explained by behaviorism, but to accomplish it doesn’t require knowledge of behaviorism. What is needed is an environment free of aversive stimulation. Such an environment can only come about and be maintained if all the communicators can experience and enjoy the reinforcing benefits from such an environment. Neither SVB nor NVB is the result of the “autonomous man of traditional theory.”