QUESTION

The school of behaviourism emerged in the 1910s, led by John B. Watson. Unlike psychodynamic theorists, behaviourists study only observable behaviour. Their explanations of personality focus on learning

Criticisms of Behavioural Approaches

Critics of the behavioural approach to personality maintain three arguments-

• Behaviourist researchers often do animal studies of behaviour and then generalize their results to human beings. Generalizing results in this way can be misleading, since humans have complex thought processes that affect behaviour

• Behaviourists often underestimate the importance of biological factors

• By emphasizing the situational influences on personality, some socialcognitive theorists underestimate the importance of personality traits. Comment on the underlined criticism on the behaviourist approach to personality. Support your argument through the use of examples