Behavior-Based Objectives and Proposals to Evolve a Prosocial Culture

The Times They Are A-Changin’

The 1960s

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." This rousing exhortation from John Kennedy's inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, set a hopeful tone for the new decade in the United States. A brief period of national optimism followed, popularly known as "Camelot." Then came the botched Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, the Cuban missile crisis of late 1962, and the events in Dallas in 1963.

After the tragic assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson became president. He proposed to us a vision of a Great Society with the expectation that everyone could share in the opportunities and rights that the United States offered for better, prosperous, and peaceful lives. He proposed that the words "liberty and justice for all" should have real meaning. In his vision of the Great Society, he initiated significant social programs with investment in education, support for the arts, and a strong commitment to civil rights and social justice.

Johnson had many legislative accomplishments, including the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the expansion of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He worked hard to try and withdraw us from the failed Vietnam War. These initiatives left him exhausted and wounded by a country that was becoming increasingly divided and fragmented. He chose not to seek reelection. Johnson's vision and goal were to eliminate poverty and inequality, and promote racial and social justice. He presided from November 1963 through January 1969. We are still waiting for his vision to become a reality. We have lacked focus and healing leadership. However, our behavior has also led us to become even more fragmented and individualistic, and our culture has evolved to where we are today, increasingly divided, isolated, angry, and territorial. From "We the People'' to "I and my rights first."

The civil rights movement, under the leadership and example of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others made significant progress in the 1960s. They succeeded in their mission, engaging in peaceful actions to push for changes and new legislation that resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Peaceful protest was the predominant behavior at that time.

The Vietnam War continued and led to anti-war demonstrations that challenged the image of the United States being a united nation. Many protests occurred, and most were peaceful, chanting "give peace a chance." Others were not so peaceful like the Ohio National Guard firing into a crowd of mostly students protesting against the war at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. Four students were killed and nine wounded.

The 1960s also saw the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963, followed by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy five years later. These actions made it dramatically clear that not all Americans were united and shared the vision of a more inclusive and equitable democracy.

This period of unrest, uncertainties, and tragedies in our national history was filled with lots of hope and promises as well as many disappointments. The Great Society spawned great vision, transformative ideas, and major initiatives to modify the cultural structures of society. A lot of money was committed to education and other institutions in an attempt to create equal opportunities and multiply our accomplishments. We were to be united for the greater good of all. The biggest accomplishment was putting a man on the moon in 1969. The event united us, if only briefly.

We may ask ourselves, what happened to all these expensive legislative and governmental initiatives that promised a cultural transformation so we could live and progress together harmoniously in a Great Society? The first half of the 1960s has been described by many historians as "years of hope" and the second half until the mid-1970s as "days of rage." Since then, we have continued to evolve as aimless, unguided, selfish, divided, full of rage, and increasingly disappointed. However, one of the positive consequences we see has been that people from a wide range of ethnic and gender origins have attempted in many different ways to make the United States society and culture more inclusive and equitable for all. A worthwhile objective, indeed!

The previous essays have addressed primarily the basic problem of behavior and culture and we have provided the scientific foundations for our proposals. First and foremost, as David Wilson has taught us in his book This View of Life (2019), any proposal to guide the culture has to have a firm evolutionary foundation. Most evolutionary changes take time. Wilson has also warned us about what can happen when cultural evolution remains unguided - we might end up in chaos and decline as documented in Jared Diamond's 2011 book Collapse. Diamond documents, within a historical context, how climate change, globalization, population growth, and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of society. He also argues that some have found solutions and persisted. He concludes that societies choose to fail or succeed. 

Diamond identifies two significant choices that distinguished the past societies that failed from those that survived. The first choice was the practice of long-term planning. He defined the practice of long-term planning as "…the courage to practice long-term thinking, and to make bold, courageous, anticipatory decisions at a time when problems have become perceptible but before they have reached crisis proportions." Diamond instructs us that it can be especially bad when the short-term interest of the elite leaders conflicts with the long-term interest of the society (delay discounting), and the elite are insulated from direct consequences. The second choice Diamond identified was the willingness to reconsider core values. "…[T]he courage to make painful decisions about values. Which of the values that formerly served society well can continue to be maintained under new changed circumstances? Which of the treasured values must instead be jettisoned and replaced with different approaches?" There is a lot of food for thought in Diamond's work. It may provide some guidance to intentionally evolve our culture.

We propose that cultural change has to involve both individual and collective behavior change as well as a shift in the social environment in which we behave (society/culture). The strategy is simple: reinforce behavior that benefits the culture! We believe that a science-oriented culture can evolve, guided so that it benefits the greater good and increases the frequency of prosocial behavior by its citizens. We will rely on the natural sciences--primarily the natural science of behavior--and the various social sciences. In our book Engineering the Upswing, we, as well as David Wilson, Tony Biglan, and others, have created a framework for guided cultural evolutionary implementation. As noted previously, Wilson has informed us that while cultural evolution is happening all the time, it has remained mostly unguided. If we let it continue as it is we could end up with many unexpected consequences, some of which are frightening.

Problems and Objectives

We are facing many problems. Most are a problem of our actions - bad behavior. Some are social/environmental problems, like decreased cooperation, social injustice, violence, economic inequality and insecurities, subpar and unequal educational practices, chaotic immigration, and health care inequalities including discriminatory mental health access and care. We also have faced for a long time the ineffective applications of laws and social policies by the government that keeps using tax-payer dollars to repeat past mistakes with minimal progress in engineering practices for the greater good. We lack trust in our institutions and tend to fend for ourselves with minimal cooperation. Behavior is the dominant and common thread in all of these issues.

We rely on social media to make "friends'' and miss out on real "flesh and bone" friendships. We do not know how to resolve conflicts and some resort to violence to settle differences. Many work environments are also toxic. There is little work-life balance: the demands of work are high and the rewards are low. We are unable to slow down and enjoy leisure time (if we are privileged to have the time). Drug and alcohol addiction provide an escape from this for many. Relationships suffer. Families are broken. Children are abused, neglected, and abandoned. Violence, including domestic violence at home, continues to increase. Road rage, sometimes lethal, is also ascending as well as the frequency of unruly passengers on planes. Bad behavior is everywhere.

We face many physical and environmental problems, like accelerating global warming and the increasing waste driven by consumerism. We need to face the fact that these conservation crises, one of the most pressing for the survival of humanity being global warming, are mostly and primarily driven by each and everyone's individual and collective behavior. Effective energy renewal and conservation as well as reducing global warming are not going to be resolved only by new technologies replacing the old. They are going to require behavior change, beginning with parents teaching their children to conserve, love, and respect the physical environment, and to model conservation practices for others.

We must develop new technologies that are reinforcing to those who adopt them. There is also the need to teach and promote practices that reduce the frequency of delay-discounting. We need to teach the ability to delay gratification since it is essential for self-regulation, self-control, and the survival of humanity. Many of our chronic health problems, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and lung disease are driven by habits like overeating, smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, and other unhealthy behaviors like not being consistently active and exercising. Mental health is a serious problem that is also plagued with inequalities to access and treatment. In many ways, our health depends on how we behave with respect to our bodies.

We no longer teach the reinforcing value of acting prosocially, like being kind and expressing gratitude. Prosocial actions, in the long run, are some of the best sources of personal reward and individual well-being. To be prosocial, one has to learn and be rewarded for acting in prosocial ways. Parents, grandparents, teachers, political leaders, religious leaders, as well as many others from the community must build, reinforce and emulate prosocial behavior.

The objectives of the next few essays are to lay the foundation for developing science-based behavioral-engineering practices to guide the evolution of our culture. As does any evolutionary process, this will take time. We cannot afford to wait any longer but we have to practice patience. We have to accept as a scientific fact that cultural evolution is happening and from all the red warnings we see when we analyze behavior around us, unguided it is taking us to a chaotic future and potentially a catastrophic end. It is in the individual and collective behavior where we need to focus. The following is an outline of our proposals to guide and behavior-engineer the culture toward the greater good.

Proposals 

The requirements of behavioral engineering are first, to identify the variables associated with the interface of the culture/environment and the behavior of its citizens. In other words, to identify the prevailing cultural contingencies governing behavior at the time. Second, to then develop a flexible framework of guidelines and consequences to optimize the environmental factors (policies - rules/consequences) that can facilitate the guided evolution that creates a culture benefiting the greater good. As noted previously when we discussed the importance of measurement, decisions, and changes in rules and policies are based on measuring the effects on behavior. That is, how one knows if a policy (change in prevailing cultural contingencies) works or does not work. A key concept will be developing strategies for making benefits of the culture function as a reinforcer for individual behavior. The following are specific proposals that in their totality can provide the framework for behavior change that can guide us to evolve the culture towards the greater good. Promoting prosocial behavior and reinforcing them is foremost. This cultural evolutionary process takes time.

The following are specific suggestions and proposals to help us ignite the cultural evolution that can shape and guide our behavior toward working for the greater good. We define a culture that serves the greater good as being dedicated to creating and supporting a social environment where we teach and positively reinforce, starting at home with our children, supported by the educational process, to serve others. The greater good is achieved by creating an environment/culture in which the government and its citizens, collectively and individually, enact policies/rules that reinforce prosocial behavior thus serving the need of something bigger than self-interest.

Parenting

It begins here! It is urgent to address the problem of parenting. There are many types of relationships and circumstances today that are responsible for creating the environment for the most important responsibility we have as a parent; providing the best social and physical environment in which our children can develop a healthy brain, self-reliance, prosocial behavior, and become well-educated for their future. Home is where it all starts. There is little data-based guidance and support for this most important practice. We need to focus on finding practical approaches to this most pressing problem. The future survival of our culture depends on healthy parenting.

Universal Early Childhood Education

The young brain depends greatly on environmental input, both physical and social, for healthy development (see our 12/14 post). Early childhood is the critical period to lay the biological and behavioral foundation for cognitive as well as social maturation. The children, interacting with the learning environment, are building their synaptic selves. This is the first opportunity we have to lay the biological and social foundation that can lead to justice and equality of opportunities. We must develop evidence-based strategies to teach with the brain in mind. Every educational curriculum and practice impact the evolving brain. Teachers need to be properly trained to implement these strategies effectively. Our culture must invest in this proposal if it is to evolve properly and practice the best we can do for the future of our children and our culture.

Redesign of the Public Educational System

We will examine an improved educational system that incorporates the advances in technology and pedagogy that have evolved in recent years. That system will incorporate service in the form of peer instructional involvement facilitating and promoting prosocial behavior and sharing. The role of teachers as learning managers and behavior engineers will be emphasized. Education is the foundation and future of our culture. The enrichment and survival of the culture may depend on it.

Universal Public Service Requirements

We argue for universal public service, what can be more prosocial than that? An example of universal public service is found in Israel and it has been proposed from time to time in the United States. It has never been adopted after the draft was discontinued. We need to emphasize the role of service organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, etc. as well as volunteer and church service organizations. Being of service to others can be shaped and reinforced so it can become a lifelong behavior that can be very gratifying and rewarding. It can also build reciprocity and unselfish behavior.

Civics Education Requirement

We have a civics crisis. Reframing our culture will require the reintroduction of required civics courses from elementary through secondary levels of education, The Center for Civic Education (https://www.civiced.org), as well as others, provide us with quantitative data describing the current pathetic state of civic education in the United States and make the urgent case that civics education is needed in our country. Lifelong participation in civic duties will ensure the continuity of this necessary cultural practice. Civility is the backbone of democracy.

Immigration

There is an urgent need to reexamine immigration policies and practices. We must develop a system to teach the foundation of our history and civics principles. Newly arrived immigrants should be able to participate in our democratic and cultural process if they so choose (e.g., learning English, registering to vote). We need to ensure their success through our actions and facilitate "them" becoming "we."

Politics and Economics

There is a need to reframe the role of government. In our view, the government's primary focus is to engineer the creation and maintenance of a culture/environment that supports individual success and welfare in a non-coercive, non-punitive manner. To maintain a safe and productive culture, a supportive environment should reward rule-following and apply the necessary consequences for rule-breaking. One of the primary roles of government is to support parents in parenting, provide equitable early childhood education programs to all children, make sure that quality public education is available to all, and that each child graduates practicing worthy lifelong performances in which the value of the accomplishment exceeds the cost of the behavior required to achieve it. Government, to be accountable to taxpayers as well as model fiscal responsibility, must develop a science-based procedure for developing and implementing public policies that measure the effectiveness of each policy. Policy modifications are made on the basis of these data and not lobbying interests alone. The economic system must be modified to assure benefit to all (see Anthony Biglan’s 2020 book, Rebooting Capitalism).

Creating Healthy Work Cultures

The National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety has proposed the Total Worker Health® initiative. This initiative is a good example of a guided approach to implementing an evolutionary process in the work culture for promoting practices that improve the safety, health, and well-being of workers. It benefits workers and their families, employers, and the community at large.

 Social Justice

Our country has struggled with this issue since its inception. It is time that we apply a scientifically sound approach to address it. Social justice and specifically racism, are such important and urgent issues that clearly need our attention. We believe, as already demonstrated, that social justice in general, and race relations and equality in opportunities particularly, are not going to be obtained easily by new laws and policies or even the Supreme Court. It is a disturbing behavior pattern that for some has been reinforced by their environmental history (beginning in childhood) and is now a well-established discriminatory behavior pattern. It will change if we deliberately implement and properly guide a cultural process targeting discriminatory behavior. It is a complex issue with many variables. It will require an earnest commitment to apply the scientific method. Gradual change for the better will require the systematic implementation of practices that eliminate the behavior of discrimination on the basis of skin color and other racial characteristics. That will take some time. Parents, by their behavior, are models and must teach their children by reinforcing procosial behavior toward all individuals.

Violence

The environment/culture that has evolved unguided and by our evolved behavior, unbeknown to us, we have created a culture that supports mass shootings and daily killings, spousal abuse, and mistreatment of our children. These events seem to be out of control and growing. Road rage, spontaneous violence, and many other forms of aggressive behavior occur frequently. We may conclude that the perpetrators of these acts lack appropriate prosocial repertoires. It is also quite obvious that we have not all learned to resolve our differences by engaging in meaningful conflict-resolution practices. Again, these are learned behaviors.

Violent behavior is a very complex behavior that is influenced by many factors. Guns are often blamed for the behavior. Guns and lack of proper control are certainly major issues that needs to be addressed. However, what we see is indicative of our cultural practices that contribute to violent behavior in some. Unless we approach and identify the environmental/cultural variables that contribute to and maintain violent behavior, we will continue to see increasing violent acts in our society. Gun control alone is not going to stop the violence. We need to do more. Similar scientific approaches as those discussed in addressing social justice are needed.

Public Health

We believe that now is the time that public health approaches to implementation and prevention incorporate the science of behavior into their analyses, practices, recommendations, and, most importantly, in their implementation. Public health policies have primarily focused on the physical aspects of prevention and their policies primarily target physical health and disease. Research has shown that it is quite often our behavior and cultural practices that contribute to many forms of chronic disease. Public health needs to take a leadership position in promoting behavior change for the greater good. Public health scientists and practitioners need to become active facilitators and promoters of prosocial behavior, conflict resolution practices, healthy parenting practices, and self-regulation behavior to prevent and manage chronic diseases as well as reinforce any other positive behavior that enhances well-being. The practices of public health need to focus on behavioral approaches to prevent violence, increase acts of gratitude and cooperation, and safeguard the safety of children from violent acts. Our country needs this type of leadership to turn the tide of uncooperative and aggressive behavior that is so prevalent today.

The Assignment

The assignment we have is urgent. It needs to be carried out together. If not, it is quite probable that we will face the perpetual continuation of a gradual, unguided, unmeasured, and inevitable cultural evolution of our United States into chaos and further decay. Why leave it to chance?

Skinner made the distinction, published in The Thoreau Society Bulletin (1973, 122, 1-3), that Thoreau's Walden is only "a utopia for one" and Skinner's Walden Two (1948, 1963, 1976) is about a society, set in the United States, in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human behavior. This has been controversial and certainly challenging and some may see it as offensive. We will address this issue in great detail in a future essay. The fact is that the evolution of our culture and the behavior associated with the cultural contingencies in place at a time are inseparable. The evolution of culture is happening and we usually do not know that it is happening nor why it is happening. They function in reciprocal interaction, behavior impacts/changes the culture and vice versa. Healthy culture = higher frequency of rule-following that promotes a higher frequency of prosocial behavior. Unhealthy culture = a higher frequency of selfish/individualistic behavior and an environment that supports a higher frequency of violence and rule-breaking behavior. Skinner (1973) noted, "Social justice and human well-being requires more than rugged individualism. They call for a science and technology of behavior."

In the preface to Walden Two (1976), Skinner told us that our choice was clear: "Either we do nothing and allow a miserable and probably catastrophic future to overtake us, or use our knowledge about human behavior to create a social environment in which we shall live productive and creative lives and do so without jeopardizing the chances that those who follow us will be able to do the same."

Now we have to go to work…We do have the scientific tools to start fixing it, beginning now. It is, in fact, what we owe the future.

Pass it on and see you next week.

Francisco I. Perez

Henry S. Pennypacker

Faris R. Kronfli

Pennypacker, H. S. & Perez, F. I - Engineering the Upswing: A Blueprint for Reframing Our Culture - 2022. Sloan Publishing. It can be bought at The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies bookstore (behavior.org) or at Amazon. All proceeds benefit The Cambridge Center.