Pros: A very interesting proposal on how behaviorism could be manipulated towards a society.
Cons: Realsitic, though??
The Bottom Line: If you are into psycholgy, this is actually an intersting read because hopefully you have some background on some of the concepts. If no background...still recommend it!
annemorganmu's Full Review: Burrhus Frederic Skinner - Walden Two
So you ask, what is Walden Two all about?? What is the underlying drive??
Walden Two is a novel written by B.F. Skinner based on his behaviorism concept and operant conditioning. Walden Two is a utopian community organized based on Frazier’s idea of a good life including good health, minimal unpleasant labor, opportunity to direct one's talents and abilities, and the experience of true leisure. Positive reinforcement is utilized to make everyone happy and if something in society is viewed as ineffectual, then it is changed or appropriately adapted. Continual experimentation is key. It’s said people don't stay in Walden Two out of forced, but because they want to, once again through positive reinforcement. Punishment is never used in Walden Two. Not because the members are opposed to it, but because punishment is viewed as unpredictable in its outcomes, and can often have unwanted side effects.
The driving force behind Frazier’s utopian Walden Two is behavioral engineering. By way of behavior engineering, the members are made to, or modified, act in the way that is most favorable for the entire group. This behavior modification is brought about through operant conditioning, in which one learns a response has a particular consequence. In Walden Two, positive reinforcement is primarily used for conditioning. Positive reinforcement is when a behavior occurs and an attractive consequence is presented and increases the likelihood of a behavior reoccurring in the future. Through Walden Two, Skinner tries to validate that people are the product of their environments and by controlling, work, learning and the raising of children you can make a society that is perfect. Perfect environments, make perfect people, which make a perfect environment, and theoretically, it should be a continuous cycle of that sort. In Walden Two, it is extremely important to start the conditioning the moment they are born, so that no undesirable environmental aspects influence their shaping behavior. Humans are seen as malleable and as being exclusively shaped by their environment, therefore by controlling their behavior through positive reinforcement, behavior engineering takes place.
What values does skinner stress in Walden Two??
In Walden Two, the community values equality between the sexes. Women are supposed to be equal to men. As close to a utopia as Walden Two is, it is hard to justify there being true equality. For starters, in chapter 5, there are noted differences in dress, which is understandable, but I believe there is also an underlying expectation of how either sex should dress. Early on in the chapter, Burris notes how attractive all of the women seem. Frazier explains that almost every female has the capability to be attractive when one’s tastes are broadened, that is, the women are not required to dress within strict limits. Styles are also changed more slowly, so clothing that is in good condition can be salvaged longer. If the women are allowed to have such a broad sense of dress, it seems that they might feel pressure to utilize this right and feel as if they have to look attractive day in and day out. Thus, is there an unmentioned value put on attractiveness among the females? This, in a sense, would be no different then being back in the United States culture where beauty is valued. Burris then later goes on to note that the men seem to dress “a shade below” in both fineness and formality. Frazier’s explanation is as follows, “It’s not really a sex difference – I insist. We haven’t quite freed ourselves from the culture from which we came. Men are less dependent on clothes, even here.” This chapter, I believe exemplifies that gender inequality is still present within Walden Two, as, in terms of dress, more is expected of the females in their appearance. However, a good example of Walden Two’s value of equality is in taking a closer look at the division of labor. Walden Two holds that any person can perform any task as long as they have the proper expertise. Throughout the novel, there are examples of males and female breaking away from the sex appropriate jobs, which may not seem as nontraditional today, as they did in 1948 when the novel was published. For example, in chapter 9, the Housekeeper is male, a traditionally perceived female role. In another chapter, it can be noted that a female is the dentist and a male is the nurse, whom I believe, especially in 1948, would have traditionally been reversed. Accordingly, it is apparent that Walden Two stresses equality among the sexes, yet, there is a possibility of inequality slipping in unnoticed.
Not only is equality between the sexes valued in Walden Two, but efficiency in the division of labor. In Walden Two, everyone has a required amount of four labor hours to fulfill that can be earned at different rates, depending on the desirability of the job. On the surface, it seems ideal in its simplicity. However, what determines how desirable a job is? What one person sees as a desirable job could be seen as quite undesirable to another. As, the society grows; a change in this system might have to be considered. For instance, eventually Walden Two will have a geriatric portion to their society. People’s age cannot be controlled and many people age different. Would the older population have different labor requirements? Or would they just be required to continue laboring as long as they were determined functioning? As ideal as the efficiency of the division of labor seems, I would foresee complications as the population’s age becomes more diverse.
Not too sure about the child-rearing practices. Would they really be effective??
In Walden Two, the childrearing practices are quite radical in contrast to what is considered traditional. Children are not raised by their biological parents, but instead by caretakers in a community nursery. They are even placed in enclosed cubicles where temperature and humidity can be strictly regulated. The practical sides of me, views these cubicles as a bit ridiculous. Being only a self-sufficient community, the maintenance of these boxes I would imagine to be on the costly side.
The childrearing practices are prime examples of behavioral conditioning and through this conditioning Frazier believes that negative emotions can be eliminated from society, which in essence is supposed to instill tolerance. “We give each child a lollipop which has been dipped in powdered sugar so that a single touch of the tongue can be detected. We till him he may eat the lollipop later in the day, provided it hasn’t already been licked.” According to Frazier, this procedure helps the child learn self-control and it doesn’t end with lollipops, sometimes, when the children eagerly arrive for dinner they are told to stand in front of their bowl of soup for five minutes before actually eating. These methods of instilling self-control are extreme to me. Using food as a form of manipulation is drastic and possibly risky. Maybe not so much in 1948, but today, such a form of manipulation could impact eating disorders. On a basic level, eating disorders are about having self-control that takes place in the form of controlling food. Utopian society or not, manipulating behavior has to have its repercussions as there is no guarantee the child, no matter how closely monitored, will gain the desired behavior.
As Frazier has good intentions in eliminating negative emotions, I can’t help, but acknowledge that the negative emotions are what make the positive emotions all the more wonderful. For example, can happiness be fully appreciated if one has never felt sadness, or in taking it further, can happiness exist without the existence of sadness? So will the children be able to appreciate how happiness feels and how positive of an emotion it is?
Sounds kind of like a Communist society to me….
“Isn’t there considerable resemblance between Russian communism and your own society?” Burris poses this question to Frazier. Frazier views it as a good idea as originally planned, but the way in which it was implemented allowed for four inevitable weaknesses. “The first is a decline in the experimental spirit.” In Walden Two, nothing is set in stone, if something needs to be changed for a more efficient environment, it is. In Russia, Frazier believes they have come to a stand still and that they fail to admit they could still use some major improvement because it is under control at a government level and the government should “know” all of the answers. Experimentation is necessary for progress. The second weakness Frazier mentions is that “Russia has overpropagandized, both to its own people and to the outside world.” Frazier notes that this makes it difficult to actually evaluate what is making the system work. Is it an actual satisfying way of life or is it the propaganda? He feels the use of propaganda makes it difficult to move towards a society in which it is unneeded because if eliminated there is the possibility of it prompting the culture to fall apart. “The third weakness of the Russian government is its use of heroes.” With its utilization of heroes, Frazier feels that the government can hold out only as long as the hero exists. That means decisions are based on the interests of the heroes rather than principles. The fourth weakness was “the Russian experiment was based on power.” Frazier remarks that they use punishment and the threat there of it. This power makes people behave, but not because it is mutually good. The government also had to incorporate capitalistic techniques that allows for uneven distribution of wealth and such. So, obviously the system is not beneficial for the good of all citizens.
Frazier, in having his Walden Two compared to the Russian government, is very defensive. Some could view Frazier’s behaviorism versus Russia’s communism as more detrimental. In communism, though one may be punished for not acting in a proper accord, at least they still have behavioral control to make that choice of not abiding. Quite basically, their mind has the freedom to make the choice of considering they don’t agree with something. Frazier’s behavioral engineering does not allow for its citizens to even contemplate being in a true disagreement. Their mind’s freedom is nothing more than an illusion. Frazier may realize this very notion and could be part of why he may be so defensive.
Frazier’s behavioral engineering I found to be comparable to the society of Nazi Germany. To look at the core of what happens in both of these societies, it could be said that both involve a sort of “brainwashing”. Frazier assumes that his behavioral engineering will miraculously restrain the Planners and Managers, Walden Two’s “government”, from desiring power. In my eyes, nothing is a guarantee, especially since I feel we have instinctive drives, that cannot be changed through modifying our environment. As it was seen in Nazi Germany, once people have a taste of control they tend to want more.
Would living in Walden Two be all it’s cracked up to be??
In living in Walden Two, I am indifferent. The stressed out college student, in me, would love to run away to Walden Two. The rational side of me would steer clear of Walden Two.
Frazier is trying to play God, more or less, in the operation of Walden Two, so his ways conflict with my values of Christianity. God is an omnipresent all-knowing presence in our lives. God knows everything about everyone. However, we cannot see him tangibly. Frazier is basically taking on the same role in Walden Two. He is in control and knows of all the operations that are taking place, but no one knows whom he is, so he is in essence taking on a God-like persona. I also find the system particularly manipulative. The individuals of this community are living under a false sense of freedom. Freedom is nothing more than an illusion because they are all behaviorally conditioned. In our society, we are found responsible for our own behavior. If we shoot someone, we are guilty as charged. In Walden Two, it doesn’t seem right to hold an individual responsible for their own behavior when they have been put through conditioning techniques. What if the conditioning of an individual or several individuals went wrong and they committed a criminal like act? Who would be held responsible for their behavior? Frazier believes all negative emotions should be eliminated, but to me, that would make all positive emotions futile because they have no standard to be held up against. “Emotions are – fun!” said Barbara. “Life wouldn’t be worth living without them.” I feel the same way.
There were aspects of Walden Two that I did find attractive. The division of labor and the need for labor not being stressed was an important part of the community that I agreed with. In today’s society, it seems you have to have something scheduled for every second of the day, much of it work, or you are seen as lazy. Busyness has taken over are lives and everyone is on the go. One would think with all the new technology integrated into our society, like computers which are supposed to save time, the pace of life would slow down. However, that does not seem to be the case, it just makes people want to get things done faster and take on more tasks. This constant state of busyness, takes time away from friends, family and from oneself. We all need to have leisure integrated into our lives, to pursue avenues that allow one to have enjoyable experiences. Thus, it is obvious; Walden Two’s concept of leisure was another aspect with which I agreed. Leisure is an aspect of life we often don’t take advantage of and I believe positive leisure can make us richer individuals. However, I just wonder how in far one can actually excel in a noncompetitive environment like Walden Two.
All in all, I think Skinner had good intentions in creating this fictional utopian society. It really makes you step back and think, what if…
Literary Fiction - This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United St...More at Barnes and Noble
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