"The question of control" to the Palestinian Question: giving substance to skinnerian abstract analysis of social control

Abstract

This article proposes a critical analysis of the “question of control” as discussed by B. F. Skinner in About Behaviorism (chapter 12, 1974), in the context of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of this work. Skinner argues that acting upon the environment is as essential as elementary biological functions, that control is inevitable, and that it is only possible to modify its conditions. He also discusses countercontrol as a response to problematic forms of institutionalized control, evidenced by desertions, revolutions, reforms, and protests. The feeling of freedom, often celebrated, may, according to the author, result from more subtle controls and, paradoxically, reduce countercontrol against exploitative practices. We argue that although Skinner identifies fundamental aspects, his approach lacks anchoring in historically and structurally situated social contingencies. The aim is to describe in a truly (and not merely apparently) contextualized way, multidetermined sets of social contingencies – both in their structural or societal dimensions and in their social or interpersonal dimensions. To bring concreteness to the debate, we propose an analysis of the Question of Palestine as a contemporary example of oppressive structural contingencies, aggravated by the context of “war”, illustrating how relations of control and countercontrol manifest in real situations of struggle for freedom and self-determination. We conclude that a critical and contextualized understanding of the contingent relations between the individual and society – in mutual determination – remains fundamental for Behavior Analysis oriented toward social transformation.