Science and Human Behavior

Skinner examines culture as an extension of behavioral control. He emphasizes that cultural practices arise when certain responses are reinforced while others are punished or ignored, noting that “right” and “wrong” eventually acquire the force of “conforming” and “nonconforming” (418). These contingencies shape everything from language and table manners to architecture and art, creating group-specific repertoires of behavior. Skinner draws on examples from anthropology and sociology, pointing out how practices may persist even after their original functional basis has disappeared, often supported by prestige or social distinction. He also underscores that cultural systems tend to be self-sustaining, as individuals both conform to and enforce group norms.

Expanding the scope, Skinner defines culture broadly as “all the variables affecting [the individual] which are arranged by other people” (419). This includes families, institutions, and peer groups, all of which exert overlapping and sometimes conflicting forms of control. He illustrates cultural change through the example of sexual behavior, contrasting older practices of repression and punishment with modern approaches that favor education and milder forms of regulation. Such shifts produce transitional cultural environments, where individuals are subjected to competing influences.

Skinner explores how culture shapes motivation, emotional dispositions, self-control, and self-knowledge.