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Book Review Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Doby Richard Pfau Reviewed first by Fred Good and then by Lloyd Kleindinst © Fred Good 2017 In his book,
Your Behavior: Understanding and
Changing the Things You Do, science educator Richard Pfau, introduces
the layperson to what a significant number of scientists worldwide now
consider to be the most important development in the life sciences since
The Principles of Psychology
appeared in 1890. This
development is Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), a theory that explains how
living organisms operate. What is especially valuable about Pfau's
presentation is that it introduces the reader to the topic in a way that is
easily accessible, moving from what seems self-evident to what requires more
analysis and thought. Each chapter builds on what has previously been
covered, providing context and background using references from a broad
range of academic disciplines and scientific thought. Rather than assuming
that the reader is versed in terms and methods familiar to scientists, Pfau
provides highlights throughout each chapter that clarify definitions, offer
examples and emphasize key concepts. Each chapter is followed by a
comprehensive list of further reading and endnotes.
In the final two chapters Pfau discusses how a person
can analyze their own behavior. He reviews the many resources and programs
available to anyone who seeks to change whatever aspect of their behavior
they want to change. Included are a multitude of support groups, some of
them operating worldwide and some on-line resources readily available to
anyone. He also suggests how one might go about finding professional help
when needed. What is
particularly encouraging is that he acknowledges that we all have aspects of
our own behavior with which we may not be entirely comfortable and for which
we may want help. His approach to the subject is non-judgmental and
affirming, supporting the notion that none of us are perfect. This section
is in itself an excellent compendium of available resources, including brief
descriptions of how they can be accessed.
Pfau's early research interest was focused on trying to
develop and articulate a unifying theory of psychology. After reading a book
by the late William T. Powers titled
Behavior: the Control of Perception (1973), he realized that he had
found what he was looking for and set about studying PCT. He also began to
attend annual meetings of the Control Systems Group, a scientifically
oriented organization formed in 1986 by Powers and his wife Mary. Over the
course of the next 27 years, scientists in fields as wide ranging as
mathematics, physics, education and neuroscience presented and debated
research papers they prepared based on Powers' thesis.
The CSGnet list serve to which he refers was initiated at the same
time and continues today as an active forum for discussion and debate around
the theory and its implications. Until his death in 2013, Bill Powers continued to focus
on research using computer simulations to demonstrate his model. These
computer simulations are included on discs, which come with his last book,
Living Control Systems III (2008).
More than a dozen scholars in a variety of disciplines have written
books and articles about PCT in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Applications of the model in psychotherapy known as the Method of Levels
(MOL) is currently being implemented and studied in England, Australia, and
the United States with very encouraging results. Some applications in K-12
schools have also been introduced in the United States, Canada and
Australia. In 2015, Northwestern
University in Evanston, IL acknowledged Powers' importance, accepting into
its archives the voluminous personal records of his research including
physical models, video recordings of the annual meetings of the Control
Systems Group and books and research papers by him and other scholars
interested in the model. Theories in science, depending on their scope and
potential for replacing previously held assumptions, can take a long time
before they come into public awareness, deemed important enough to be
seriously considered and evaluated, and eventually accepted as valid. As
Thomas Kuhn discussed in his book, The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1967), paradigm shifts in science
are not everyday occurrences. The bigger the implications of a theory, the
longer it takes for it to become accepted and its potential applications put
to the test in what we typically refer to as "the real world."
As Pfau explains, Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) meets the criteria
of what is referred to as a "good theory" in science. It offers a
comprehensive and internally coherent view of what we casually refer to as
"behavior". It thus leads to a more accurate way of understanding our own
selves, actions, and motivations, as well as those of others. It is
therefore, what is often referred to in the academic community as a
"metatheory." Pfau has approached the subject in a holistic,
disciplined and objective manner, seeking to explain the theory and its
underlying research in terms that are accessible to the ordinary reader who
may not have a scientific background. He accomplishes this in a manner that
is seamless, sequential and well documented.
He begins with descriptions of life that are clear to any reader such
as a two-page overview entitled "The Story of Your Life. " He then builds
upon this basic foundation, introducing, in this instance, the effects of
genes and learning into the story, gradually preparing the reader for ideas
that are specific to PCT such as "reference signals" and "reorganization."
He always highlights key points and definitions to which he will refer to as
he moves from what seems self-evident to what is more complex and may
require some reflection to fully understand. Pfau is clearly conscious of the innate prejudices with
which most of us approach a book that purports to challenge existing notions
of behavior. Wisely, he resists the temptation to offer counter arguments or
evangelizing. Rather, he sets about explaining in a dispassionate and
objective manner how PCT fits into a larger context. He explains how it is
the product of advances in systems thinking, cybernetics and the digital
revolution. While the subject matter and his references are probably
unfamiliar to many of us who can benefit from this book, he does not talk
down to his audience. He is a skilled teacher who is aware of the state of
our current world. He is affirming in his approach while offering
opportunities for deeper study and investigation.
In spite of the increasingly serious attention PCT is
now receiving from scientists worldwide, there are some reasons the model
has taken some time to see the light of day. Pfau's book goes a long way to
connect the dots in this regard. Most of what has been written around PCT
has been written by and for the academic community. While there have been
some books devoted to describing applications in psychotherapy and
education, lack of funding for evidence based studies of these applications
has been very limited in the United States and are only beginning to be
realized in England and Australia. Part of the problem, of course, is that
the model seriously challenges the path psychology took early on in the
United States as behaviorism dominated the field throughout most of the
twentieth century. Education policy in the United States has generally
tended to support practices that are inconsistent with developing critical
thinking skills, respect for scientific inquiry and a skepticism of dogma.
PCT returns the field to what William James initially suggested should be
its primary focus, namely, the study of purpose.
Pfau's objective is clear from the start. Rather than
seeking to persuade, he seeks to educate. Instead of zeroing in on the
specifics of the model and its parts, he starts by providing a context that
is familiar and comfortable to the reader, constantly defining words that
may be unfamiliar to the non-scientist and explaining clearly the methods
and role of science in coming to grips with observed phenomena, whether such
phenomena are apparent to the casual observer or imbedded in the complexity
that is, in fact, the nature of life and our relationship to the world
outside of ourselves, which, it might be noted, includes other humans such
as ourselves. Rather than focusing on where others may have gone wrong in
their attempts at understanding life, Pfau consistently and subtlety reminds
us that science and scholarship are part of a learning process and that it
is important not to make judgments about the work of others without offering
thoughtful and measured alternatives. In the case of PCT, the whole is,
indeed, greater than the parts. The parts are, as it were, a composite of
all the efforts, scientific, scholarly and experimental over time that have
contributed to our current understanding, evaluation and acceptance of such
a big theory as is Perceptual Control Theory. Pfau offers copious amounts of references throughout
the text, with specific information about how to access the information and
how that information relates to what he is discussing at that point in the
text.
© Lloyd Klinedinst 2017
In Pfau’s concise four part ‘handbook’ to PCT he outlines in the
first three parts the human living organism, its operations (i.e. behavior),
and the environment in which it exists to survive.
Starting each chapter with a section called ‘The Big Picture’, Pfau
surveys the body, its operations, and the environmental realities which our
bodies’ operations include out of necessity and choice. In the course of
these chapters Pfau refers to the many works of a long and rich lineage of
thinkers who have pondered how human and living beings function.
In “Part IV: Behavior Theories, Analysis, and Change,” Pfau first
surveys theories and models of human behavior and presents a cogent case for
recommending PCT as an overarching metatheory. He anchors this thesis on its
founder’s own words: “As William Powers has stated, ‘For a thousand
unconnected empirical generalizations based on superficial similarities
among stimuli, I here substitute one general underlying principle: control
of input.’”
A real bonus included in Part IV, are the two chapters on how to
analyze our own behavior and, if we choose, how to change it. Its analyses
of examples of a present and a past behavior are supplemented with several
guides or worksheets in the appendices. Additional resources of books,
groups, and professional help are listed and described further make it easy
for any reader to acquire whatever assistance may be needed or wanted for
working, playing and being happy with his or her behavior.
While Pfau’s book offers a remarkably helpful guide to understanding
and changing one’s behavior, it equally serves as a valuable guide for
learning about PCT. The basic thesis of PCT and its various corollaries
inform the book’s first eight chapters which describe and discuss the human
living organism, its operations (i.e. behavior), and the environment in
which it exists to survive.
In Chapter 9 PCT is situated in the context of related and general
scientific research. Pfau also compares PCT with competing theories and
practices, confirming for this reader its greater validity and reliability
in understanding human behavior.
I highly suggest this valuable publication by Richard Pfau. It can
serve you well as a self-help guide. It can also introduce you to a
perception-altering scientific idea whose time has been coming - long
overdue!
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This page last updated on August 2, 2019 |
