Running head: JOHN B. WATSON: AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 1
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JOHN B. WATSON: AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST
John B. Watson: American Psychologist
Blake Humphreys
Manchester Academy
Abstract
John B. Watson was an intelligent psychologist who accomplished several goals and formed numerous theories throughout his lifetime. He is very famous for establishing the psychological field of behaviorism. He is also known for his famous experiment called “Little Albert.” Throughout his life, he wrote several books and eventually received acclaim for his many contributions to the field of psychology.
John B. Watson: American Psychologist
John B. Watson was a renowned and reputable psychologist during the twentieth century. Watson and Sigmund Freud were the most ‘written about’ psychologists when they were alive and after their deaths. Making several strides in the field of psychology, Watson conducted research and many experiments, which led to his theories on behaviorism and emotional conditioning. From traveling around the country to cities, such as Chicago, to be educated and to teach, Watson also served his country as a psychologist during World War I. Due to his acclaim and accomplishments, he is considered one of the most famous psychologists of his time.
John Broadus Watson was born on January 9, 1878, in a town named Travelers Rest, which is very close to Greenville, South Carolina. He had a very troubled childhood, often getting in fights and being arrested twice. Watson’s mother was a very religious mother; however, he grew up opposing religion altogether. Although he performed inadequately in his academics, he eventually graduated from high school, attended Furman University, and received a master’s degree. Being influenced by other well-known psychologists such as Ivan Pavlov and Vladimir Bekhterev, Watson furthered his education by enrolling in a graduate program at the University of Chicago, studying psychology, and forming behaviorist theories. Afterwards, he became a professor at John Hopkins University, but unfortunately had to leave due to an affair with one of his students. Watson divorced his wife, Mary Ickes Watson, and immediately married the former student, Rosalie Rayner, with whom he had an affair. When the couple had been married for fifteen years, Rayner died, and Watson never married again all the way to his death on September 25, 1958.
Watson had many psychological ideas, theories, and discoveries; however, his most known contribution to psychology was establishing the field of behaviorism. According to Watson, “Psychology as the behaviorist vi...
