From Watson to the Present and the Human Capacity for Change

John B. Watson’s statement, etched into the history of psychology, remains striking even a century later:

“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in, and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief.”
(Watson, 1924)

This assertion captures the core premise of behaviorism: human behavior is learned; the environment is decisive; internal mental processes, being unobservable, fall outside the boundaries of scientific inquiry. From Watson’s perspective, the human being is a formable organism, shaped through the careful control of environmental conditions.

Yet this claim extends beyond childhood development. It carries a deeper, often unspoken assumption:
that once shaped in childhood, the human being is complete.

Modern psychology pauses precisely here—and objects.

Childhood: A Phase Left Behind Or A Structure Carried Within?

Contemporary developmental psychology no longer regards childhood as a stage that is merely passed through, but as a foundational layer of psychological organization. Bowlby’s attachment theory demonstrates that early relationships with caregivers form internal working models that continue to influence emotional regulation, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships throughout adulthood (Bowlby, 1969).

At this point, theory becomes personal:

How was closeness experienced in childhood—through safety or distance?
And do these early patterns still echo in adult relationships and emotional boundaries?

Winnicott’s distinction between the “true self” and the “false self” points to a similar continuity. Excessive adaptation to early environmental expectations may distance the child from their own needs, a disconnection that can later manifest as diminished creativity, inner emptiness, or identity diffusion in adulthood (Winnicott, 1960).

From this perspective, childhood is not a closed chapter of the past, but a lived psychological space that remains within the individual. Childhood development becomes not merely a historical period, but an active psychological structure.

The Contribution—And Blind Spot—Of Behaviorism

Watson’s behaviorism played a critical role in establishing psychology as an empirical science by prioritizing observable behavior. Its systematic study of learning processes contributed meaningfully to education, clinical practice, and applied psychology.

However, when behaviorism reduces the individual to a system that merely reacts to environmental stimuli, it excludes subjective experience and the sense of self. Human behavior is shaped not only by what is learned, but by how what is learned is interpreted and internalized.

Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy addresses this gap. Individuals develop not only behavioral repertoires from past experiences, but also beliefs about their own capabilities. These beliefs profoundly influence which actions are pursued and which are avoided in the future (Bandura, 1977).

This invites a crucial question:
Are the limits we experience today genuine constraints—or beliefs learned long ago in childhood?

Here, the deterministic tone of early behaviorism gives way to a more dynamic understanding of human agency.

Adulthood: Where Psychological Change Remains Possible

The life-span development perspective rejects the idea that psychological development ends in childhood. Identity formation, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility continue to evolve across adulthood (Baltes, 1987). Findings from neuroscience further support this view, demonstrating that the adult brain retains significant plasticity and can reorganize in response to new experiences.

Research on posttraumatic growth reinforces this position, revealing that individuals are not merely capable of recovery, but of psychological reorganization. Challenging life events can transform value systems, priorities, and self-concepts (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).

Together, these findings place clear limits on Watson’s environmental determinism. The environment is powerful—but the adult individual remains an active agent, capable of reshaping both inner and outer worlds. This perspective highlights the enduring potential for psychological change across the life span.

The Inner Child: Burden Or Resource?

Within a scientific framework, the concept of the “inner child” refers to the persistence of early emotional learnings and unmet needs in adult psychological life. Importantly, this inner structure is not only the repository of vulnerability, but also of curiosity, playfulness, and creativity.

The crucial distinction lies here:
Has this inner child been silenced—or listened to?

A silenced inner child tends to speak through symptoms; a heard one lends flexibility and vitality to adult functioning. When integrated rather than denied, early experiences become not fixed determinants, but resources for growth and self-understanding.

Conclusion: Repositioning Watson

Watson’s claim cannot be fully dismissed, nor can it be accepted without qualification. Human beings are shaped by their environments—but they are not merely products of them. Childhood influences are powerful, yet not immutable.

Humans are among the few beings capable of revisiting, re-reading, and revising the drafts written in childhood.

And perhaps this is one of psychology’s most hopeful conclusions:
The past explains us—but it does not dictate our future.

References

Baltes, P. B. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology, 23(5), 611–626.

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.

Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18.

Watson, J. B. (1924). Behaviorism. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Winnicott, D. W. (1960). Ego distortion in terms of true and false self. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 33, 17–30.