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The Interbehavioral Alternative to Brain-Dogma

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Abstract

Physiological reductionism as exhibited in allegations that the brain causes behavior (brain-dogma) is viewed from the interbehavioral perspective. Explicit and subtle forms of brain-dogma are identified in contemporary versions of mentalism, cognitivism, and behaviorism. The interbehavioral approach provides an alternative to brain-dogma in the form of a holistic view of behavior which recognizes that neural processes cannot be separated from behavior (dualism) but instead are integral, participating factors in all psychological behavior. An emphasis on organism-environment interactions and the interbehavioral field conception rules out classical mechanical, cause-effect, deterministic versions of causation that underlie brain-dogma. A variety of other viewpoints that are compatible with the interbehavioral approach are briefly reviewed.

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Delprato, D.J. The Interbehavioral Alternative to Brain-Dogma. Psychol Rec 29, 409–418 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394629

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