FREUDIANISM VERSUS BEHAVIORISM This paper will compare the psychological worldviews of Freudianism and Behaviorism. The Freudian perspective stems from the work of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the founder of psychoanalysis. The origin of Behaviorism is found in the work of B. F. Skinner (1904-1990). Both of these men had “scientific” worldviews and they both believed that there are forces that influence the lives of human beings. However, they differed in their view on what the most important influences are Freud emphasized the role of the unconscious mind, which cannot be directly observed. In contrast, Skinner emphasized the role of environmental reinforcements and their impact on observable behaviors. The worldview of Freudianism is based in part on Freud’s scientific orientation and his rejection of religious and metaphysical assumptions (Stevenson 72). Freud claimed that the mind is divided into two major parts, the conscious and the unconscious. According to Freud, the conscious part of the mind is merely “the surface of the mental apparatus” (Freud 11). Although people interact with the world through the use of their conscious minds, their unconscious minds have a powerful influence on their feelings and actions. In his book Seven Theories of Human Nature, Leslie Stevenson claims that Freudianism sees the mind as being like an iceberg, “with only a small proportion of it visible above the surface, but a vast hidden bulk exerting its influence on the rest” (73). According to the Freudian viewpoint, the content of the unconscious mind can be accessed through such things as “dreams, fantasizes, and symptoms, which give an indirect but nevertheless privileged insight into the content of unconscious states” (Gardner 138). Stevenson points out that the Freudian worldview is also based on a belief in “determinism” (73). Basically,