Final answer:
Behaviorism focuses on the impact of the external environment on behavior and emphasizes the importance of observable and measurable events over unobservable mental processes. This scientific perspective requires examination and understanding of behavior from a strictly empirical standpoint.
Step-by-step explanation:
The perspective of behaviorism in psychology emphasizes an objective, scientific approach to understanding behavior through observable and measurable means. Recognizing the significant shaping influence of the environment on behavior, behaviorists like B. F. Skinner rejected biological determinism and the idea that personality traits are inborn. Instead, they argued for the impact of reinforcements and consequences external to the organism. This school of thought de-emphasized unobservable mental processes, differentiating itself from approaches like structuralism, Freud's psychoanalytic theory, and Gestalt psychology, which examined inner experiences. From a behaviorist standpoint, factors such as unconscious thoughts were considered less important compared to directly observable behaviors influenced by learning and environmental conditions.
When discussing the reductionistic and scientific viewpoint of behaviorism, it implies that one should examine behavior solely through observable and measurable events. This approach aligns with the scientific method, which insists on empirical and tangible evidence for supporting claims about human behavior. This commitment to observable data served as a foundation for behaviorism throughout its significant period in psychology, though later shifts in the field, labeled as the cognitive revolution, brought renewed focus to the mind and less directly observable processes.