Raising Children in Walden Two

A detailed Summary of Raising Children in Walden Two

B.F. Skinner wrote Walden Two because he was dissatisfied with many things in society including the government, pollution, the exhaustion of resources, overpopulation, crime and violence. In this book, Skinner envisions that a perfect world can be created by predicting and controlling the behavior of society, beginning as early as infancy. While reading the prologue, I came across this statement regarding parenting and children:

"We could solve many of the problems of delinquency and crime if we could change the early environment of offenders. One need not be a bleeding heart to argue that many young people today have simply not been prepared by their homes or school to lead successful lives within the law or, if prepared, do not have the chance to do so by getting jobs.

Children are our most valuable resources and they are now shamefully wasted. Wonderful things can be done in the first years of life, but we leave them to people whose mistakes range all the way from child abuse to overprotection and the lavishing of affection on the wrong behavior. We give small children little chance to develop good relationships with their peers or with adults, especially in single parent homes, which are on the increase. That is all

Skinner (Frazier) believes that he can raise healthy, happy children in a group environment and thus eliminate the parent-child relationship. He also uses the science of behavior to replace traditional methods of parenting. I do not feel this is a very effective method of raising children. A parent-child relationship is important and should not be eliminated. I believe that the traditional method is more effective for raising healthy, happy children.

environment of offenders. To a small extent I do agree with this statement, but I think that for the most part this is just an excuse society has created to justify reasons for crime. I believe that each of us has the power to change and overcome our environment. I know many people who had bad home lives as children and have now become very successful and happy adults. And they are not criminals. With those frustrations aired, I will narrow the focus of my paper.

"The bad repute into which scientific child care has fallen is no reflection upon our technical knowledge of what should be done. The requirements of good childcare are well established. Where we have failed is in getting good care in the average home. We have failed to teach the average parent even the simplest scientific principles. And that's not surprising. The control of behavior is an intricate science, into which the average mother could not be initiated without years of training. But the fact that most children are badly raised isn't all the fault of a lack of technical skill, either. Even when the mother knows the right thing to do, she often can't do it in a household which is busy with other affairs. Home is not the place to raise children." (Skinner 131)

In conclusion, I feel that Skinner's group environment method creates confusion and instability for the children. The children do not create a strong bond with anybody. They cannot put their complete trust in anybody. It also creates "manufactured" children who are all the same. There is no emphasis on being unique and individual. These children do not really know who they are. I believe that traditional methods of raising children are more effective. Our children know exactly who they can trust to take care of them and provide for them. Our children are all unique individuals with different personalities. Our children have a better sense of who they are. Our children are healthier and happier.

I also do not believe that we should control the behavior of our children to the extent that Frazier thinks we should. I am raising my daughter to be a unique individual. I do teach her what is right and wrong. And I show her my values and moral through my actions. These are things that we do need to control about our children's behavior. But, I think that Frazier takes this too far. The chil

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Approximate Word count = 1897
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English