Gaslighting in Applied Behavior Analysis
What to Expect
This was a really tough video to work on... Gaslighting is a psychological experience that I wholeheartedly believe I have experienced as a result of the actions and inactions of behavior analysts around me and online in the past 3 years of this channel. There are days that I seriously consider just ceasing this channel due to the stress it brings behind the scenes. What is offered in the Science of Human Behavior is a worldview that prohibits approaching human behavior change in ways that those who gaslight engage in. It's antithetical to the behavior analytic worldviews of functional contextualism and radical behaviorism.
Yet I can find instances of it almost daily on social media or see evidence of it behind-the-scenes from significant leaders in the field. It's nuts. Our field operates from philosophical foundations, which again are antithetical to how we would approach this in practice, and holds with it the requirement of empirically validated arguments, accurate conceptualizations, and actual data of the subject of interest and their behavior.
I've experienced 4 serious instances of gaslighting, as recently as January 2021 from figures in our field that are oftentimes revered for their role in our science and I expect a field of scientists who share a common set of assumptions to uphold those same assumptions with each other in professional discourse. The saying in our field is "the learner is always right." That is, our behavior is the product of environmental circumstances, our behavioral history, etc. When was it ok to stop living by this in certain contexts for the sake of some alternative reinforcement? And at what expense? This is where I currently stand on this issue, and I will continue to reflect and spend time and effort on creating the things that I and others who value this work see useful. Unfortunately, the days of having blind faith in our larger community have been tainted by bad-faith actors that I've discovered along the way and have no way to predict and prepare for. Thanks for listening, and your support. I promise I'm fine, and I hope my sharing will create some healthy caution in others engaging in similar activities in the future.
Links for Today:
Technical reads: https://link.springer.com/article/10.5210/bsi.v11i2.92 or https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686984/
Lighter blog-style reading: https://www.healthline.com/health/gaslighting
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About
Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA
Hey, I'm Ryan. I usually go by Ryan O or RYANO. I hail from northern Nevada in the grungy, yet surprisingly classy, (and newly renovated) Reno, Nevada. I like my climate like I like my data: evolving, uncompromising, and progressive. I am a master of science; that is, I have an M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis, however, my interests have grown to include many other interests, including entrepreneurship and capturing perspectives and stories through various mediums. These interests and skills have allowed me to work with a lot of great people. I've started three businesses, started numerous active joint venture agreements, a behavioral think-tank, a podcast, a professional development movement, helped organizations that support people with Intellectual Disabilities, to list a few. Currently, I lead product development and distribution for High Sierra Industries as a Learning Systems Development Specialist. I focus outside this role on building a community of thought leaders and doers to create content that increases the transparency of behavior analytic technologies with the hopes of creating a platform that truly saves the world. My interests are all over, from artificial intelligence and machine learning applications to the theory and philosophy behind Why We Do What We Do (wwdwwdpodcast.com). In my spare time you can find me consuming social media, prepping/climbing a giant mountain, or walking around with my camera in my hand (and, occasionally, all simultaneously). Connect with me personally on most all social platforms via @TheDailyBA and let me know what drives you to pursue the Behavior Analysis vision.