Behaviorists believe that it is necessary to observe and measure behavior in order to understand it. Psychological states, emotions, the unconscious, and feelings are not measurable and therefore are not valid for study. Only overt behavior can be measured,
observed, and controlled by scientists. Radical behaviorists (those who believe that we do not actually choose how we behave), such as B. F. Skinner (1953), claim that environmental rewards and punishments determine the types of behaviors in which we engage. This is referred to as operant conditioning.
We learn certain behaviors, including most sexual behaviors, through reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcements encourage a person to engage in a behavior by associating it with pleasurable stimuli, whereas punishments make it less likely that a behavior will be repeated, by associating it with unpleasant stimuli. For instance, if a man decided to engage in extramarital sex with a colleague at work, it may be because of the positive reinforcements he receives, such as the excitement of going to work. If, on the other hand, a man experiences an erection problem the first time he has sexual intercourse outside of his marriage, it may make it less likely he will try the behavior anytime soon. The negative experience reduces the likelihood that he will engage in the behavior again.
To help change unwanted behavior, behaviorists use behavior modification. For example, if a man engages in sex only with adolescent boys, a behavioral therapist might use aversion therapy. To do so, the therapist might show the man slides of young boys; when he responds with an erection, an electrical shock is administered to his penis. If this is repeated several times, behaviorists believe the man will no longer respond with an erection. The punishment will have changed the behavior. Contrast this form of therapy to that of a psychoanalytic therapist, who would probably want to study what happened to this man in the first 6 years of his life. A behavior therapist would primarily be concerned with changing the behavior and less concerned with its origins. Much of modern sex therapy uses the techniques developed by behaviorists.