Control: A History of Behavioral Psychology: 14 (Qualitative Studies in Psychology) - Softcover

"[A] highly readable, at times entertaining, yet eminently scholarly book." -History and Philosophy of Psychology Bulletin "The book is excellent." -American Journal of Psychology "Control, a strongly written work of careful scholarship, will be a critical part of that continuing discussion and it deserves the attention of all historians of the discipline. Readers will be rewarded with important insights." -Theory & Psychology

Behaviorism has been the dominant force in the creation of modern American psychology. However, the unquestioned and unquestioning nature of this dominance has obfuscated the complexity of behaviorism. Control serves as an antidote to this historical myopia, providing the most comprehensive history of behaviorism yet written. Mills successfully balances the investigation of individual theorists and their contributions with analysis of the structures of assumption which underlie all behaviorist psychology, and with behaviorism's role as both creator and creature of larger American intellectual patterns, practices, and values. Furthermore, Mills provides a cogent critique of behaviorists' narrow attitudes toward human motivation, exploring how their positivism cripples their ability to account for the unobservable, inner factors that control behavior. Control's blend of history and criticism advances our understanding not only of behaviorism, but also the development of social science and positivism in twentieth-century America.