May 13, 2016

May 13, 2016

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader,

Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) can only be reinforced by someone who knows the difference between SVB and Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB). Since I am that person, SVB can only be reinforced by me. This doesn’t mean that SVB cannot be reinforced by someone else, but that the other person must know the difference between SVB and NVB as I do. Similarly, we all know that two and two is four. People know more about counting than about talking. There could be many more people like me, but finding out about and knowing the difference between SVB and NVB involves a personal development, which is a product of one’s relationships.  Another way of saying this is that my ability to distinguish between SVB and NVB is made possible by my relationships. I couldn’t do what I do without these relationships and I claim that I do what I do because of these relationships. I don’t do what I do because of me. It has taken me a long time to realize this. I am 57 years old, but I finally got it: I don’t cause my own behavior. We engage in NVB as long as we believe that we cause our own behavior. However, behaviorists, who acknowledge this scientific fact, do not all of a sudden acquire SVB because of this. As stated in my previous writings, it is important to know that we don’t cause our own behavior, but this doesn’t teach us about the SVB/NVB distinction. To know more about this distinction, we must start with rough outlines of what SVB and NVB is. Only due to experimentation can the distinction become more and more clear. We can only know more about SVB if it can be prolonged. The longer SVB continues, the more we will find out about it and the more subtle the nuances of the SVB/NVB distinction become. Also, of course, NVB needs to be fully explored. This can only happen, however, to the extent that we have experienced SVB. Only our prolonged experiences of SVB can guide us into a deeper understanding of our continued involvement in NVB. As our SVB experiences increase, they will transform our NVB experiences. We will be repeatedly in situations in which we witness how NVB changes into SVB.