Non-acquaintance and freedom in the path of a new behavioral science

Abstract

Historical interpretations of the initial career of B. F. Skinner include theoretical and empirical innovations of his stub of a behavioral science. Despite this historiographical commitment, one aspect has been treated as secondary in the analysis of this phase of Skinner's career, namely, the impacts of institutional context of Harvard University. The purpose of this article is to explore this aspect through the analysis of the institutionalized practices of the departments of psychology and general physiology of that university, and its relations with the emergence of the scientific proposal of Skinner and its peculiarities. According to our interpretation, some singularities of this proposal are more broadly understood as institutional conditions that enabled Skinner to distance himself from the mainstream of American experimental psychology. Finally, we suggest that even though this study refers to an eminent scientist at a specific historical context, it offers the possibility to illustrate the role of social controls inherent to scientific practices in the course of scientific careers.