Organizing for the Kingdom of Behavior: Academic Battles and Organizational Policies in the Twenties

In his paper, Samelson (1985) highlights structural changes that occurred in academia and beyond during the 1920’s; like the changes and activities that were going on in research, these external changes were largely influenced by World War I.  Samelson demonstrates that the historical developments of behaviorism were complicated and that a variety of forces and counter forces were operating.  He describes, in detail, the role of Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial (LSRM) and its members in directing the research program of the social sciences. 

After the war, the LSRM planned to fund research that would help improve the social problems of post-war America by distributing enormous grants to research groups that conducted interdisciplinary, empirical social science research that served practical (not only academic) interests.  The LSRM was looking to fund research that would result in substantial social control, in time, to help improve societal post-war conditions in America.  Although it is unknown whether the LSRM funding drove universities to form interdisciplinary groups so that they could apply for LSRM funding or if academia and the Memorial were influencing each other the whole time, as the LSRM grants became available the formation of interdisciplinary social science research groups were on the rise, and the common topic of interest that brought them together were factors that affect the behavior of individuals and societies.  

Although Watson and Skinner provided the faces and philosophies for behaviorism, the “Kingdom of Behaviorism” could not have risen at it did without the contributions of other factors.  Evidently, the contribution of funding agencies, the directors of these organizations, and other larger social factors, such as the war, played a large role in the rise of behaviorism.