A Response to “God and Behavior Mod”

Abstract

In a previous article, Rodger Bufford argues that behavioral technology is broadly consistent with the biblical view of man. In this response, it is argued that behavior modification as an application of behavioral psychology cannot disown its commitment to the thesis that the environment alone is a cause in human affairs. This thesis contradicts what is both implied in and asserted by biblical principles, namely, that man is an agent, free and responsible, also influenced by his environment. While there may be some practical procedures which can be isolated from the causal analyses of behavioral psychology, behavior modification as an application of behavioral psychology conflicts with the biblical view of man.