Universitas Psychologica ISSN: 1657-9267 [email protected] Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Colombia Mora-Gámez, Fredy Behavior Therapy and Modelo Latinoamérica; Assembling and Demarcating Psychology in Colombia Universitas Psychologica, vol. 13, núm. 5, octubre-diciembre, 2014, pp. 1919-1930 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogotá, Colombia Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=64739325022 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Behavior Therapy and Modelo Latinoamérica ; Assembling and Demarcating Psychology in Colombia Terapia del Comportamiento y Modelo Latinoamérica; ensamblando y demarcando la psicología en Colombia Envio 26/01/2014 | Revisión 26/07/2014 | Aceptación 27/07/2014 Fredy M ora -G áMez * Grupo de Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y la Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia ** Group of Science, Technology, and Knowledge, University of Leicester, UK a bstract The set of psychological techniques known as Behavior Therapy is reframed as a sociotechnical device and its circulation from the US to Colombia in the 1970s is reconstructed. The circulation of Behavior Therapy is descri - bed in academic spaces such as Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Universidad Javeriana. The possibility of Behavior Therapy as a Boundary Object as a mean for demarcation from psychiatry, and as a way for promo - ting and mobilizing scientific discourses about subjectivity. Thus, a relati on between the training guidelines for psychology curricula known as Modelo Latinoamérica and the assemblage of Behavior Therapy is outlined. Finally, some considerations for future interdisciplinary research on the history of psychology are proposed. Keywords history of psychology; Colombian psychology; psychological technologies; boundary objects; science and technology studies r e s u M e n doi:10.11144/Javeriana.upsy13-5.btml El conjunto de técnicas psicológicas conocido como Terapia del Compor- tamiento es replanteado como un dispositivo sociotécnico y se realiza una Para citar este artículo: Mora-Gámez, F. (2014). reconstrucción de su circulación desde EEUU hacia Colombia en los años Behavior Therapy and Modelo Latinoamérica; As- sembling and demarcating psychology in Colombia. 70. Posteriormente, se describe la circulación de la Terapia del Comporta- Universitas Psychologica, 13 (5), 1919-1930. http:// miento en espacios académicos como la Universidad Nacional de Colombia dx.doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy13-5.btml y la Universidad Javeriana. Adicionalmente se discute la posibilidad de entender la Terapia del Comportamiento como un Objeto-Frontera, un * [email protected], [email protected] medio para la demarcación con respecto a la psiquiatría, y una forma de promover y movilizar discursos científicos sobre la subjetividad. De esta ** This work is a modified and reviewed version of the first chapter of the graduate thesis Colombian manera, se delimita una relación entre los lineamientos de entrenamien - Psychology: Knowledge, technique and expertise, re- to para currículos en psicología conocidos como Modelo Latinoamérica y constructions from Science and Technology Studies by el ensamblado de la Terapia del Comportamiento. Por último, se ofrecen Fredy Mora-Gámez as partial fulfilment for the title algunas consideraciones para futuras investigaciones interdisciplinarias en of Magister en Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia, at el campo de la historia de la psicología. Universidad Nacional de Colombia,August, 2012. Palabras clave Special thanks to ASCOFAPSI, COLPSIC and the historia de la psicología; psicología colombiana; tecnologías psicológicas; objeto- DIB for partially funding this research. frontera; estudios sociales de la ciencia y la tecnología U niv . P sychol . B ogotá , colom Bia V. 13 No. 5 PP. 1919-1930 edición es Pecial 2014 ISSN 1657-9267 1919 Fredy M ora -G áMez Behavior modification techniques based on labora- Even though behaviorism promoters might have tory experiments were widely circulated in the US claimed that their technologies and explanatory since the 1920s. For instance, Cover Jones (1924) models were free from political interests, the main implemented classical conditioning techniques confrontational issues of their works precisely ad- as Direct Conditioning and counterconditioning for dressed politics and assumptions on human nature reverting learned fears in children. Likewise, the comprised in their narratives and procedures. De- manual written by Watson (1928) entitled Psycho- spite the 1970s confrontations, behavioral assump- logical Care of Infant and Child made him receive tions about human nature and behavior modifica- a prestigious prize given by the American Society tion techniques had already been mobilized in dif- of Parents. In the same way, after the publication ferent arenas against psychoanalytical approaches of The Behavior of the Organisms: an experimental in North America. analysis in 1938 , Skinner developed a protocol for training pigeons to guide bombs towards German US circulations of Behavioral techniques: targets by shaping response sequences through op- the case against Psychoanalysis erant conditioning; however, it was only after World War II, when behavior modification techniques Behavior therapist Andrew Salter, a former student were widely unfolded because of a techno-scientific of Clark Hull and a partner of Kazdin, suggested turn, consisting of a growing interest in developing that hypnotic states could be better explained from technological tools out of experimental knowledge, classical conditioning experimental techniques; his in some of their representatives (Capshew, 1993). book: What is Hypnosis ? (1944) presented a major Despite different practical problems of the im- claim about the lack of scientific proofs in psycho- plementation of behavior modification techniques analytical and psychiatric approaches, likening in different settings (Reppucci & Saunders, 1974), their techniques to those implemented by mental- such devices were widely recognized for (a) the un- ists and magicians . In contrast, Salter claimed that derlying assumptions of their configuration regard- classical conditioning techniques could be used to ing the positivistic dominion of behavior (Moxley, modify even the most established habits, and that 2006), (b) the possibility of technological control hypnosis was not a mind control activity but a tech- of human behavior, and (c) the primacy of effec- nique better explained with Pavlovian categories tiveness and the role of behavioral engineering (see (Salter, 1944, 1961). Skinner, 1948). As Altus and Morris (2004) have But the above tension was only the first of pointed out, those assumptions were enthusiasti- several others in a crusade against the so-called cally outlined by Skinner in the novel Walden Two , pseudo-scientific psychologies by behaviorists. The which narrates the story of a scientifically organized Case against Psychoanalysis (Salter, 1952) consisted and planned society. Interestingly, these assump- of one of the most intense divergences between Psy- tions about human behavior were not emphatically choanalysis and Behaviorism in North America. In confronted until the 1970s after the publication of a provocative way, Salter analyzed several Freudian Beyond Freedom and Dignity (Skinner, 1971). About concepts based on 388 references extracted from Skinner’s book on liberty and other algid political the psychoanalytic literature; he emphasized the terms in the US, Noam Chomsky strongly claimed: tendency of Freud and his disciples to present “… “A close analysis shows that the appearance is evidence, which is less than nil …” (Salter, 1952, p. 30) misleading. Skinner is saying nothing about freedom Moreover, Salter claimed in this book: “ Whenever and dignity, though he uses the words ´freedom´ and a psychoanalyst has a fact he can’t explain, he modifies ´dignity´ in several odd and idiosyncratic senses…as it with a hypothesis he can’t prove ” (Salter, 1952, p. to its social implications, Skinner’s science of human 58). This book was one of Salter’s Best-seller pieces behavior, being quite vacuous, is as congenial to the and was widely circulated among the psychological libertarian as to the fascist” (Chomsky, 1971) . community of the US. 1920 Universitas P sychologica V. 13 No. 5 edic ión e s Pe ci a l 2014 Behavior T herapy and M odelo laTinoa Mérica ; asse MB ling and de Marca Ting psychology in colo MB ia In the upcoming 1960s and 1970s, psycholo- resemblance might stress the relation between BT gists Ayllon and Azrin (former students of Skinner) and psychological training in the US, but the plau- Kazdin, Yates and others were developing and pro- sible connection outlined up to this point makes moting different techniques based on classical and understandable why BT spread through different operant conditioning. Some of those techniques localities in the US, until it reached other countries were quite successful and well-used techniques in the American continent. for fears and phobias, self-regulation techniques BT at Universidad Nacional de Colombia for anxiety and token economies for motivational During the ongoing assemblage of BT in the systems (O’Donohue, 1998; O’Donohue & Kras- US by Skinner, Salter, Ayllon, Azrin and others ner, 1995; Wolpe,