Science and Human Behavior

Skinner begins his discussion of self-control by acknowledging the apparent paradox in a behavioral framework that emphasizes external variables: The question of how, if behavior is shaped by the environment, an individual can appear to be determining their own conduct. He reframes self-determination as behavior itself, specifically behavior directed toward manipulating the conditions under which other behavior occurs. In this view, self-control is not evidence of an inner agent but rather a process in which “one response, the controlling response, affects variables in such a way as to change the probability of the other, the controlled response” (231).

Skinner outlines a variety of techniques individuals use to regulate their own behavior, many of which parallel how people control others. Physical methods include restraining oneself, avoiding situations, or limiting access to temptations, such as leaving money at home to avoid overspending. Other methods involve altering stimuli—either removing triggers for unwanted responses, or arranging cues that encourage desirable ones. People may also use deprivation or satiation, such as eating beforehand to diminish the likelihood of overindulgence, or deliberately engaging in a behavior to reduce its strength. Emotional conditions can be manipulated by seeking out or avoiding particular moods, and aversive stimulation may be self-imposed, such as when one sets an alarm clock to enforce waking.