Think about the last habit you tried to break.
Maybe it’s checking your phone right after waking, before your eyes have even adjusted to the daylight.
Or maybe it’s the tightness in your chest when you hear a phone ping with the same chime as a work notification.
You probably didn’t choose either. They happened, seemingly automatically, before you even noticed.
For much of the 20th century, a school of psychology built its foundation on moments like these. The focus wasn’t on why you feel the urge, but on what triggers it and what keeps it going.
That is behaviorism, and it’s likely influenced how we learn, parent, and experience therapy.
Maybe it’s checking your phone right after waking, before your eyes have even adjusted to the daylight.
Or maybe it’s the tightness in your chest when you hear a phone ping with the same chime as a work notification.
You probably didn’t choose either. They happened, seemingly automatically, before you even noticed.
For much of the 20th century, a school of psychology built its foundation on moments like these. The focus wasn’t on why you feel the urge, but on what triggers it and what keeps it going.
That is behaviorism, and it’s likely influenced how we learn, parent, and experience therapy.