ABSTRACT
Behaviorism claims that “consciousness” is neither a definable nor a usable concept; that it is merely another word for the “soul” of more ancient times. John B. Watson’s specific theoretical tactics were soon recognized by behaviorists and non behaviorists alike to be frail and contrived. Many years have passed since Watson’s Standpoint of 1919, and in that time behavioristic theory has changed a very great deal indeed. The several varieties of behavioristic theory that have evolved over the years may be looked upon as but different ways of fitting this same initial assumption onto the actual phenomena of behavior. In his Behaviorism of 1924, Watson wrote: Possibly the best way to bring out the contrast between the old psychology and the new is to say that all schools of psychology except that of behaviorism claim that “consciousness" is the subject matter of psychology.
