FREE ESSAY ON WALDEN TWO BY B.F. SKINNER

WALDEN TWO BY B.F. SKINNER

Walden Two, by B.F. Skinner was published by the Macmillan Company in 1948 is a spinoff of
Henry David Thoreau's Walden. It is an expansion of the creation of a Utopian society.
The society is the creation of T.E. Frazier and is run under his guidance. The story
starts with Professor Burris being prompted by one of his prior students to find some
information on the existence of Walden Two. The gentleman are asked to visit Walden Two
and travel as a group of six. Joining Burris and Rogers, the student, areSteve, a friend
of Rogers from the war, Rogers and Steve's girlfriends, and Castle, a fellow professor.
During their visit to the society, questions are raised about the legitimacy of the
group. After living as a member of the society for several days, Steve and his
girlfriend, along with Professor Burris decide to become members of the society. Walden
Two is the story of the creation of an ideal society that meets the needs of its members
through behavioral engineering and the use of other psychological methods. 
Skinner constantly refers to the field of psychology for the basis of his book. He
maintains that by engineering youth through psychological techniques that the bad parts
of human nature can be removed and create a better society. Parts of human behavior such
as jealousy and hatred are negative aspects of a non-conditioned society. The main focus
is on the use of behavioral engineering through conditioned reflexes and experimental
theories. Burris does a case study with one of the elderly women of the society to gain
knowledge that is unbiased about the society. One theory is gradual deconditioning of the
negatives from human behavior. The book also presents a view on the way society should
run. For example, there is no advancement for one person and no personal gain in the way
of money. Through the training the members receive as a child, they feel no need for
praise and reward for duties that help the community. He mentions that the society has
created a psychological effect where the members want to do work. Also the perfect
society has trained youth to lack jealous behavior and anger. Scientifically, the
material presented has some viability, but it seems improbable to mix the people of the
old way with the newly trained generation. Several times, Frazier mentions the use of
conditioning to reduce a child's probability to perform a negative action. Frazier even
mentions the possibility of experimental breeding being introduced into the society.
There is the problem of inbreeding in the society with the experimenting in breeding.
Skinner also portrays through the characters his belief that church is psychology and
that government is based on the science of human behavior. Finally, Skinner writes that
freedom is psychological. Through all the seemingly realistic situations, Skinner's
perfect society is scientific, but hardly plausible in an advanced society. 
Skinner supports his ideas about the perfect society through the use of examples. The
examples are hypothetical, but they are still examples. Each chapter contains a defense
of his ideas. The skeptic professor Burris represents Skinner and his friend Castle is
constantly providing arguments for Frazier to defend his society. 
The society at Walden Two has a strong program for the development and growth of the
children into the society. To keep the society running, the children must be
experimentally taught through conditioning in learning the necessary techniques to
generate a society running on the exact principles of Walden Two. His society is a
culture which is under experimental control.(242) He provides the actions of the children
in the nursery as a backing for the effectiveness of the conditioning at an early age.
There is no true scientific base for the information given, but only hypothetical proof.
His children were missing several traits found in the youth of today's society. For
example, the children lacked traits such as jealousy and anger. Through operant
conditioning, Frazier weaned the bad habits by using negative reinforcement with the
children. The children were gradually introduced to discouragement little by little,
building a tolerance that would prevent rage.(101) By conditioning babies to be
perserverant, the society lacked what could be seen as detrimental competition. The next
step to having a perfect society that started with children was a weakening of the family
structure that will make experimental breeding possible.(113) To weaken the family
structure, the neonatal is placed in a cubicle and is cared for with genuine
affection.(119) While the neonates are being slowly conditioned into the society, the
elder founders of the society must accept the new way of life. As Frazier pointed out to
the group, the transition between generations will be a tough one because nobody knows
what will happen. The future leaders were raised to be equal and do not have the skills
to effectively lead the society. There is no guarantee that a leader will emerge from the
future generation because the children were raised not to be competitive. This results in
nobody wanting to be in control. As the children matured, the society accommodated them,
but did not treat them differently. In the society, all children were equal and could do
as they wished so long as they followed the guidelines of Walden Two. Along with the
equality offered to children, they were allowed to learn what they wanted when they
wanted. Frazier pointed out that this created a better learning environment and No time
is wasted in forcing him to participate in, or be bored by, activities he has
outgrown.(97) This subsequently results in self motivation toward learning and the
children that wish to have a graduate education making excellent records.(98) His society
is not just based on children and their growth, but also on adults. 
Adults at Walden Two don't receive the same conditioning that the youth received, but
instead are trained quickly to abide by the rules set forth to create a utopian society.
In the society, there is no money and no use for it. Payment for food, shelter, and
entertainment is provided through labor-credit. A labor credit was the value of the work
done by a member of the society. A years stay at Walden Two costs 1200 labor credits. At
approximately four credits per day, the average work day becomes four hours. Because
people in Walden Two pay through credit, each job is assigned a credit value and members
can freely choose what they would like to work on. This free choice has members wanting
to do work.(41) Now that people want to do work, there is less pressure applied to
working hard. Also, the society places no pressure on achievement, allowing the growth of
the super-ego.(85) Through work and leisure activities, Frazier explains that they rely
on any method of shaping behavior.(86) Because they rely on these theories, the
experimental society tests everything. Similar to the children, the repression of
unpleasant behaviors was done without punishment. Linked to the children is the right of
the youth to marry when they feel they are mature. This shortens the gap between
generations and allows for an easier transition through the generations. The elders also
controlled the society through the Board of Planners. Each planner served a ten year term
and nominated a member of the society to succeed them in their position. Because there is
no election, the society is not divided into politically warring factions. When the
national elections come, a member of the society chooses the candidates that the members
will vote for. For the good of the community, everyone votes the same way. 
In some ways, the society appears to support the claims made by Frazier, but the door is
left open for argumentation. Castle constantly questions the actual happiness of the
members. When Burris observes the people in the society inconspicuously, he determined
that the relaxed lifestyle of Walden Two had a soothing psychological effect and was
truly blind to the outside world. After observing the society, he meets an elderly woman
and questions her about the society. He determines through his line of questions that the
experiment had worked to create a world of happiness. Castle tries to prove that there is
something wrong with the society and in the end, his only conclusion is that Frazier is a
dictator, or a pseudogod.(247) The scientific base for the society seems well proven on
paper, but lacks the realness and definition necessary to conclude that it would be
possible to do any of the suggestions mentioned in the book. 
When the ideas and psychological tools are examined, some ideas fail to meet reality of
society, but meet the specifications and ideas of psychology. In general, the
psychological backing for Walden Two lies in the basic principles of psychology. Walden
Two was a study of human behavior that was : observable, measurable, and repeatable. The
society was run as experiment in a open environment. The society was observed through the
visitors that went to Walden Two. Walden Two's success could not be measured in purely
quantitative measures, but in qualitative measures of happiness. The society was not
created to become both a prosperous community and an escape from the harsh truth of
reality. Finally, the society appears to be repeatable because of the formation of
similar societies and the expansion of Walden Two.(186) Free thought was not restricted,
but seemed to be nonexistent. People looked for safety and comfort of familiarity.(21)
Burris ran from an unfamiliar woman to his group of friends on the tour. Walden Two
showed the effects of conditioning society to perform. Frazier's whole experiment appears
to be nature versus nurture and the effects of conditioning using primary reinforcers.
The communities next task was as Frazier put it, experimental breeding. The breeding and
use of positive traits to create a more effective and gentler society was the next issue
for the society to conquer. The society runs with positive reinforcement for positive
actions, but to create the desired actions, the conditioning began at youth. 
Bibliography
gentler society was the next issue for the society to conquer. The society runs with
positive reinforcement for positive actions, but to create the