Positive Change In World Through Manipulation of Behavior...

Positive Change In World Through Manipulation of Behavior in B.F Skinners Waldo Two B.F. Skinner, in his novel Walden Two, presents many arguments about how he foresees a positive change in the world through manipulation of behavior on the personal level. Sigmund Freud, in his works, specifically Civilization and Its Discontents, presents his view of human nature and what is innately problematic about it. Both Freud and Skinner agree that human behavior is the result of outside factors that severely hinder the concept of free will. Skinner believes that humans, in the correct environment, can live happily, while Freud understands that humans are destined to live in some degree of anguish or discontent. Skinner†¦show more content†¦Skinner wants to use this notion to create a world without pain and suffering. In Walden Two, he systematically describes what conditions are necessary to create a world of happiness. Skinner proposes that to create his perfect society, one needs only to come up with the characteristics of what man should be. Since he can then create any man, he will fill the world with these perfectly-conditioned people and all will be perfect. Although many of his insights are problematic at the root level, some of what Skinner proposes is material which should not just be totally dismissed. Freud has a much different concept of human existence. He, too, says that people are formed out of experiences and pre-existent conditions. However, Freud believes that the biggest factor in shaping human behavior is much more personal and internal. Since everyone experiences things differently, he claims, it is impossible to shape everyone so that some utopian society will form, as in Skinners case. Freud recognizes on one level that there is an innate conflict between the individual and society. So even at the first level, there is a conflict which will hinder happiness. Freud states that the norms of society are much too rigorous for the common person because they are in conflict with the inner desires of the psyche. Keep in mind, this has nothing