En vinjett som nyligen presenterades av en beteendeterapeutiskt inriktad lärare i psykologutbildningen för att åskådliggöra beteendeterapeutiska behandlingsprinciper.
”Ett utdrag från en diskussion mellan A. Daniels och B.F Skinner. Vi kommer in i en diskussion där Skinner berättar hur man kan hantera folk som säger att människor inte lyder under samma inlärningslagar som råttor eller duvor. Skinner: Well, people are not pigeons you know. And there is a story about that. I was on a committee many years ago at the Hutchins Foundation. Originally, we met in New York and we’d bring in a guest to every monthly meeting. This month it happened to be Eric Fromm. All morning long he had easy explanations for everything, and after lunch it was the same thing. We were all seated at a big table, with Fromm sitting opposite me, when he started in, ”Pigeons aren’t people you know,” he told me. ”You have to realize that man is different.” He went on and on. I wrote a note saying, ”Watch Fromm’s left hand. I’m going to shape a chopping motion.” I passed the note down to the chairman. Then I turned toward Fromm and every time his hand went up, I nodded. Soon he was chopping and chopping the air with his left hand as he spoke. I thought, ’Why does he say this doesn’t work with people?’ ”