Behaving with Purpose: McDougall’s Quirky Journey into the Mind

Behaviourism is considered the second major school of psychology which rose systematically in parts of the United States as a critic of the schools of structuralism and functionalism. Behaviourism, as a part of the discipline, was pioneered officially by John Watson where Watsonian behaviourism is defined as the theory that prioritizes observable and objective behaviours and facts over qualitative and subjective feelings, emotions and motives. To raise psychology as a naturalistic science, Watson proposed that psychology should limit its arena of study to quantitative and observable behaviours, stimulus–response relationships, effects of conditioning, physiological processes etc, which can be investigated and analysed through laboratory and experimental methods.

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Although, the formal founding of the school of behaviourism is credited to John B Watson, objective psychology, i.e. one that focuses mainly on observable behaviours, had already gained fame in parts of Russia, pioneered by physicians like Ivan Sechenov and Ivan Pavlov. While most of us have familiarised ourselves with these names mentioned above, the works and research of these pioneers and even that of others like BF Skinner, some researchers in this school of psychology haven’t received their due credit and fame for their exceptional contributions.

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One such researcher was William McDougall, who proposed a slightly different perspective to the idea of behaviourism, titled purposive behaviourism. William McDougall was born on June 22 in Lancashire, England, where his father operated a chemical plant. He was educated at private schools in England and Germany. McDougall began studying at the University of Manchester at the age of 15. Four years later, he began medical training at Cambridge and graduated from St. Thomas; Hospital in London in 1897, at the age of 26.

Following a voyage to the Far East, McDougall attended the University of Göttingen in Germany to study experimental psychology under Georg Elias Müller (1850-1934). McDougall’s interest in psychology stemmed from reading William James’ writings and considered himself a disciple of the author. He later commenced his career as a professor of experimental psychology at the University College of London. While he was working in the institution, he played a pivotal role in the foundation of the renowned British Psychological Society. He even went on to publish a journal titled the British Journal of Psychology. During the war, he was a major in the medical corps, responsible for treating soldiers with mental health issues.

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Following the war, he underwent psychoanalysis by Carl Jung. In 1920, McDougall accepted a position as chair of Harvard’s psychology department. Despite replacing Münsterberg, McDougall saw himself as replacing James, to whom he dedicated his work An Outline of Psychology (1923). McDougall worked at Harvard until 1926 when he retired. McDougall authored 24 books and almost 160 papers.

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MCdougall’s Contributions to Psychology

McDougall was one of the first individuals who termed psychology as the study of behaviours of humans and animals which later became an inevitable part of the actual definition and study arena of the discipline. In 1905, he stated that psychology is the positive science of the conduct of living organisms. He believed that research methods like introspection must not be utilised to entirely comprehend the stream of consciousness in individuals, however, they can come in handy for the preliminary stages of the task. Even though both Watson and McDougall criticised the usage of introspection in analysing psychological events, McDougall accepted and propagated the importance of mental events and considered it quite pivotal in understanding the human mind.

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The theory of Purposive Behaviourism

McDougall proposed a completely different type of behaviourism as opposed to the radical Watsonian behaviourism. Purposive behaviourism, according to McDougall (1923), was distinct from reflexive action in the following ways: Purposive action is impulsive. In contrast to reflexive behaviour, it does not require a known stimulus to elicit it. It endures for a fair amount of time without external stimulation. It fluctuates.

Purposive behaviour has a continuous purpose, but how it is achieved can change. If there is a barrier, a different path is chosen to get there. A purposeful behaviour comes to an end when the objective is fulfilled. With practice, purposeful conduct improves in effectiveness. That is, behaviour gradually gets rid of its unnecessary components. Error-prone behaviour is intentional rather than reflexive.

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Debate Between Watson and MCdougall

Some of the major debates within behaviourism occurred between McDougall and Watson. On the one hand, McDougall said that instincts drive all animal behaviour, including that of humans. Watson argued that instincts do not exist in humans and that psychology is the basis of behaviour. Watson wanted and thought that psychology should get rid of the term instinct. Watson and McDougall differed significantly in their perspectives on learning.

Watson argued that learning can be explained using the principles of contiguity, frequency, and recency, rather than reinforcement. McDougall believed that habits of thought and behaviour were established to satisfy certain inclinations. McDougall emphasised the importance of need reduction as a type of reinforcement for learning. In 1929, Watson and McDougall published the proceedings in The Battle of Behaviourism.

Watson’s behaviourism was not unique at the time. McDougall, Watson’s main adversary, shared Watson’s belief that psychology should be the science of behaviour. However, they believed that purposeful behaviour should be emphasised. McDougall’s approach, known as hormic psychology, emphasised goal-directed behaviour. For McDougall, instincts and purposive behaviourism are complementary to each other. McDougall thought that humans adopt habits to satisfy basic wants. McDougall felt that instincts rarely drive behaviour in isolation. Rather objects, events, and ideas can trigger many instincts, resulting in a feeling. In the legendary Watson-McDougall argument, McDougall narrowly won.