Skinner is, without a doubt, one of the most predominant figures in the development of
Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy. Skinners’ work is essential to the
development of Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy. Beginning with the social
need for efficient psychotherapy, and after having generated a solid theoretical body of
behavioral laws, Skinner indicated and also developed the appropriate path towards
efficient interventions for unadaptive behavior. He developed a new theory regarding
abnormal behavior (psychopathology), as well as a procedural model for evaluation
(diagnosis) and intervention: “The functional analysis of behavior”. His applications for
this kind of work are pioneering and at the same time, he is the agglutinant figure of
what we today call “Behavior Modification and/or Therapy”.
It is remarkable that a scientist could change the theories and practices of a discipline as
radically as Skinner and his work did. His work, however, still has its limitations. The
best way to acknowledge and pay tribute to Skinners’ work is to overcome these limitations.
Keywords: Skinner, behavior modification, behavior therapy