Watson’s theory that humans were not born with instincts, that instinct was largely the result of learned behavior. Hergenhan & Henley, (2014). Watson considered emotion to be just another example of classical condition. Which is according to Webster, is the process where conditioned stimulus is paired with and precedes the unconditioned stimulus, until there is a elicit response. For instance, when I see lemons I salivate. Merriam-Webster, (2016)
Furthermore, vocabulary.com identifies instinct as something you do not need to learn– it happens naturally, without even thinking about it, a type of natural ability (2016). Watson’s theory that instinct comes through training decidedly is to some extent amenable.
For instance, when …show more content…
This plagued him into adulthood, and even caused depression to the point where as an adult slept with the light on. As a young child and throughout my young adulthood I had sever nightmares, fear of the dark, afraid to be alone; afraid to go to sleep for fear I would have a nightmare. After a sever nightmare at the age of eighteen I sought out a psychologist, who proceeded to tell me, it was because of quilt. Since they occurred while I was a young child I thought she must not know what she was talking about, I never went …show more content…
For the reason that, after I became a born, again Christian, and after forgiving myself, those nightmares went away. I am not afraid of the dark nor to be alone. Scripture reads, Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. Pslam 91:4 (NIV) Perhaps, the answer to John B. Watson’s fear was in the power of prayer. Prayer is my fortress, Psalm 18:2, (NIV) gives me comfort when at my most vulnerable. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Stimulus and Fear. Mr. Watson demonstrated how emotions where associated to stimulus. According to Hergenhan & Henly, (2014), this was accomplished with a toddler and a rat. Seems at first the child held no fear of the rodent, however, by combining an unexpected stimulus, such as the banging of a pipe each time the child reached for the rodent, the child would then jump and fail forward. Simultaneously, the loud and furry animal created fear and the baby learned not to touch the rat. Thus, the stimulus verse the event instilled fear in this