What influences personality?
Man does not have an "inner self" that directs him to act in a certain way. Rather, man acts the way he does because he has been rewarded or punished for his behavior. A child's personality can be molded by reward and punishment.
We should make use of our knowledge about controlling behavior to create a society where individuals are conditioned to act in a way that helps to achieve that society's goals. In fact, to not do so is irresponsible.
How does the mind work?It doesn't really matter how the mind works. What does matter is that human behavior can be explored from the outside, through facts gained by careful testing and measurement, and not by imagining that we can gain scientific knowledge of this mysterious entity we call the mind.
We as psychologists should seek the laws of human behavior through the application of the scientific method.
Tell us about your education.As a boy, I loved to make things. I made sleds and rafts, seesaws, slides, and merry-go-rounds. I made sling shots, bows and arrows, water guns, and even a steam cannon that could shoot carrots great distances. I made rubber-band powered airplanes, kites, and even tried to make a glider that I could fly in.
My first twelve years of schooling took place in a small brick building in a small town in Pennsylvania. I was salutatorian of my graduating class. Maybe not such a remarkable feat, considering that there were only eight of us.
From there I went on to Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. I was fascinated by the ideas of Ivan Pavlov and John Watson. I went on to Harvard, where I earned a Ph.D. in psychology.
What is the purpose of psychology?The ultimate goal of psychology is to improve our species through behavioral engineering. Through conditioning, we can remove man's antisocial tendencies and replace them with traits that benefit all.
We can accomplish this long term goal by discovering the laws of human behavior and personality. These discoveries should be based on facts gained through careful scientific study.
And for those who need immediate psychological help, the goal is to treat patients through reinforcement (reward and punishment), when possible.