Behaviorism is an essential part of our daily lives as it reflects how we learn and deal with different circumstances. Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2011) state that behaviorism limits psychologists to focusing exclusively on observable behavior; rejects the emphasis of the conscious and unconscious mind (p. 16). Ivan Pavlov, who was a Russian physiologist, discovered this concept when he studied the role saliva has on digestion. In his experiment, he gave meat powder to dogs to see how they salivated. After a while he noticed that the dogs salivated even before he gave them food; if the dogs see the white coat, wear the harness, they hear the sound of a buzzer, or the sound of a bell. He then concluded that these dogs were learning from the environment, which they initially thought was a nuisance, leading Pavlov to the classical conditioning process – which says we learn through pairing and association (Ryan, G. (2013) Lectures on Learning. Personal collection of G. Ryan, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood NY). Another proponent of behaviorism was John B. Watson, who wanted to demonstrate that even sophisticated behaviors such as emotions are subject to classical conditioning. Watson conducted a study known as “Little Albert,” in which he taught the child to fear the white mouse, which was originally a neutral stimulus. Every time the rat appeared, it banged two metal pipes together to scare the child. As a result, “Little Albert” feared rat-like objects, known as stimulus generalization, and in this case it was a broad selection of animals. However, according to authors Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2011) classical conditioning…middle of paper…in the end, you are the only one who can truly put you in the dark. Furthermore, you yourself are the one who can bring you out of your darkness. References Brodhagen, A., Wise, D. (2008). Optimism as a mediator between the experience of child abuse, other traumatic events, and distress. Journal Of Family Violence, 23(6), 403-411Brunk, L., Hirsch, J.K., LaLonde, S.M., Morris, A.P., & Wolford, K., 2007 (2007). Dispositional optimism as a moderator of the relationship between negative life events and suicide ideation and attempts. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31(4), 533-546. Ryan, G. (2013) Lessons in learning. G. Ryan Personal Collection, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood NYSchacter, D.L., Gilbert, D.T., & Wegner, D.M., (2011). Learning (p. 16 and 177). Psychology (second edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.