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ASIO Journal of Humanities, Management & Social Sciences Invention (ASIO-JHMSSI)

Volume 1, Issue 1, 2015: 18-22

BEHAVIORAL AND POST BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

Sunita Agarwal1 and Prof. S K Singh2
1Govt. College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
2Department of Political Science, Govt. College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

The Behaviourailsts had laid too a great deal significance on value-free research.
Review Article History In fact it was one of their essential points. They stood for value neutrality in
research at all levels. Values for all practical purposes were out of their
consideration. Post Behaviourailsts however, did not agree with this perspective
Corresponding Author:
and stressed on value loaded political Science. According to them all information
Sunita Agarwal† stands on values and that unless value is considered as the basis of knowledge
there is every threat that knowledge will become meaningless. They are of the
view that in political research values have big role to play. The behaviouralists
Govt. College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
argue that science had some ideal commitments and that behaviouralism shared
these ideal commitments of science. This thesis of the behaviouralists is not
acceptable to the post-behaviouralists. They think that the technical research
and scientific knowledge pursued by the behaviouralists should not be cut off
from the realities of life. It should be related to vital social problems and aim at
solving some problems. It is a reform movement of Behaviouralism which
appreciates the work done by Behaviourailsts in developing tools, techniques
and methods of research but wish that those should be used for the good of the
society. Post Behaviouralism is one of the important approaches or revolutions
to the study of political science.

Key Words: Social problems, Developing tools, Failure of behaviouralism,

Political science
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INTRODUCTION:
sciences. Because they believed that political phenomena
While behaviouralism was a movement against
could be subjected to the methods of science,
traditionalism, the post- behaviouralism was also a
Behavioralists turned their back on the normative legacy
movement against behaviouralism itself but instead of
of the discipline and replaced Political Philosophy with the
condemning either of the two methods of thought, it was a
Philosophy of Science, thereby setting new standards for
synthesis between the two contending schools of thought.
the formulation of concepts, hypotheses, theories, and
Behaviouralism was not a new discipline; rather it was just
protocols for empirical testing.
a new technique, a new approach, with a new focus in view
for the study of political science [1-3]. Behavioralism is a Although Behavioralism’s paradigmatic reign did not last

paradigm that became predominant in American social beyond the 1980s, it has transformed the discipline so

sciences from the 1950s until well into the 1970s. profoundly that it remains to this day an essential, albeit

Grounded in a belief in the unity of science and the unity of implicit, component of its identity.The traditional

human behavior, Behavioralism developed scientific, approaches such as philosophical, historical and

quantitative methodologies for the study of political institutional did not worry about human behaviour or
18

processes, and opened up the discipline to a wide range of group-behaviour and neglected the scientific analysis of
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theories and methods imported from the social and pure the human problems. Therefore the people, first of all
 Sunita Agarwal et al. / ASIO Journal of Humanities, Management & Social Sciences Invention, 2015, 1(1): 18-22

welcomed found that it failed to solve any problem of the developing new methodology and techniques. Therefore
world such as threat of nuclear war, hunger, poverty, post- behaviouralism arose as a protest-movement against
disease etc. Therefore post-behaviouralism rose against it behaviouralism.
[2-4].
Failure of the behaviouralists to convert Political
David Easton, one of the founders of the behaviouralist Science into a problem solving science [2-5]:
school of thought got disillusioned with behaviouralism
The behaviouralists devoted themselves in building up
which dominated Political Science from the middle of
various paradigms, conceptual frame works, models,
fifties upto the close of sixties. In his presidential address
theories and metatheories and spent huge amount and
to the Annual Convention of the American Political Science
precious time but did little thing to solve social, political,
Association held in 1969, Easton declared that "he felt
economic and cultural crisis of the world.
dissatisfied with the political research and teaching made
The post-behaviouralists asked what the use of the
under the impact of behaviouralism.
research of the behaviouralists was when they did not take
The behavioural approach was trying to convert the study
into account acute social maladies and the growing
of politics into a discipline based on the methodology of
dangers of nuclear and thermo-nuclear war. They
natural sciences.
contended that there was absolutely no use of developing
Mathematics was making its way in political science to the high technical adequacy and sophisticated research tools if
extent that it began to look more of mathematics than a the political scientists was unable to understand
science related to the realities of social life. In their efforts contemporary social and political problems.
at research and application of scientific methods, the
Characteristics or Features of Post-Behaviouralism [2-
behaviouralists had gone for away from the realities of
4, 6-9]:
social behaviour. In this way political science again lost
The Behaviourailsts had lost touch with realities and kept
touch with the current and contemporary world".
away from brute realities of politics. Post Behaviourailsts
Over-emphasis of the Behaviouralists on research
felt that behavioural enquiry is abstractism and does not
methods and tools [2-4]:
help the society in any way. They point out that we are
Behaviouralism was anxious to develop new research passing through times of crisis and in spite of the fact that
methods and techniques about political phenomena so that heavy expanses on research had been incurred and all the
in political science also theories may be developed like comforts of life are available in western world yet it is full
natural science but in their efforts they divorced political of worries and social conflicts are deepening in that part of
science from philosophy, history and law. the world.

With the advance of time, the behaviouralists lost touch In simple sense, Post Behaviouralism is a protest
with the realities of life altogether. Consequently, Right- movement against Behaviouralism which emerged with
thinking behaviouralists like David Easton found that they some of the Behaviourailsts like David Easton who was
had been wasting their precious time only in developing originally one of the leading advocates of behavioural
methodological techniques and in refining their research revolution. According to the advocates of the Post
tools. Behaviouralism, the Behaviourailsts instead of studying
political problems of the society began to waste their time
Dissatisfaction with behaviouralism led to the growth
in developing tools and techniques and on such concepts
of post- behaviouralism [2-4]:
as value free investigation of political problems. They also
The people soon got fed up with behaviouralism which
felt that the Behaviourailsts were doing irrelevant
19

failed to solve any practical problem of the world even

research not touching problems of social change, and even
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after spending crores of rupees on research in regard to

of revolution. So, along with David Easton, some
 Sunita Agarwal et al. / ASIO Journal of Humanities, Management & Social Sciences Invention, 2015, 1(1): 18-22

Behaviourailsts announced a new revolution in 1969 has also asserted: "political scientists should be more
popularly known as Post Behaviouralism Revolution that concerned with values, with issues of justice, freedom,
represented a shift of focus from strict methodological equality with political activity. In a period of stress, turmoil
issues to a greater concern with public responsibilities. and gross inequalities, it is irresponsible to carry on as
Now a question arises whether post Behaviouralism was a usual in academic, detachment. At minimum, political
reform movement or another revolution in Political scientist-need to be concerned with issues of public policy
Science. But the advocates of Post Behaviouralism like and political reform". Therefore the post-behaviouralists
David Easton, Austin Ranney, Peter H. Markel announced assert that the Political Science must be relevant to society
that Post Behaviouralism is a new revolution but not Anti- and it must deliberate over such basic issues of society
Behaviouralism because Post Behaviouralism are not such as justice, liberty, equality, democracy etc.
opposing Behaviourailsts but are adding to what is already
It must be remembered that the post-behaviouralism is
being propagated, with certain modifications. David Easton
not confined to a particular section of society. It is a sort of
therefore appealed to Behaviourailsts and all political
intellectual movement and its followers can be found
scientists that they should welcome it and takes initiatives
amongst all sections of the society," in all generations from
by calling for the establishment of a federation of a social
young graduates to old members of the profession". Post-
scientists which should identify major political issues,
behaviouralism is thus both a movement and intellectual
evaluate the viewpoint of others as well as actions
tendency.
suggested by them and come out with alternative
Though the post-behaviouralists prefer the behavioural
suggestions and solutions. Peter H. Merkel is of the view
approach than the traditional approach because it is
that though there has been criticism against
empirical yet they want to link their methods of research
Behaviouralism, yet Post-Behaviouralism doesn’t
in making such theories which may be able to solve the
constitute a new wave of methodological innovations but
present and future problems of the society. In other words
in it there is trend to study political science on normative
they want to make the methods and technology of the
lines, which has been condemned by the Behaviourailsts.
behaviouralists related to the future well-being in society.
The post-behaviouralists are deadly opposed to the
"Although the post-behavioural revolution may have all
attempts of the behaviouralists in making Political Science
the appearances of just another reaction to
as value-free science. David Easton observes: "Research
behaviouralists, it is in fact notably different
about and constructive development of values were
Behaviouralism was viewed as a threat to status quo,
inextinguishable part of the study of politics. Science
classicism and traditionalism. The post-behavioural
cannot be and never has been evaluating neutral despite
revolution is, however, future-oriented. It does not seek to
protestations to the contrary. Hence, to understanding the
return to some golden age of political research or to
limits of our knowledge we need to be aware of the value
conserve or even to destroy a particular methodological
premises on which it stands and alternatives for which this
approach. It seeks rather to probe Political Science in new
knowledge could be used".
direction".
The critics asserted that the behaviouralists who boasted
David Easton who once described eight main
of their relevance to the actual political problems have
characteristics of behaviouralism and called them the
themselves cut off from the realities of life and are
"intellectual foundation stones" of the movement, now
following academic detachment. David Easton asserted
come out with seven major traits of post-behaviouralism
that role of the intellectuals has been and must be to
and described them as the "Credo of Relevance" or a
protect human values of civilization.
20

"distillation of the maximal image".

Therefore the behaviouralists should concentrate on it but
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they have utterly failed to realise this goal. Dwight Waldo

 Sunita Agarwal et al. / ASIO Journal of Humanities, Management & Social Sciences Invention, 2015, 1(1): 18-22

They can be summarised and used as follows [3-6, 10- could not be ignored. The post behaviouraiists firmly hold
15]: this view that if knowledge was to be used for right goals,
value also had to be restored to their proper place.
David Easton holds the view that substance must have
precedence over techniques. It may be good to have The post- behaviouralists argue that the political scientists,
sophisticated tools of investigation but the most important being intellectuals must protect and promote the humane
point was the purpose to which these tools were applied. values of civilization. If the political scientists continued to
keep themselves away from the social problems, they
Unless the scientific research was relevant and meaningful
would become mere technicians, mechanics for tinkering
for contemporary urgent social problems, it was not worth
with society. Under these circumstances, they would be
being undertaken. To the slogan raised by the
unable to claim-the privilege of freedom of enquiry and a
behaviouralists that it was better to be wrong than vague,
quasi-extra territorial protection from the onslaughts of
the post-behaviouralists raised the counter-slogan that it
society.
was better to be vague than non-relevantly precise.
The post-behaviouralists contend that the behaviouralists
The post-behaviouraiists say that the contemporary
cannot keep themselves away from action when they are
political science should place its main emphasis on social
doing the research. Their research has to be put to social
change, not social preservation as the behaviouralists
use. "To know" as Easton points out, "is to bear the
seemed to be doing. The behaviouralists had confined
responsibility for acting and to act is to engage in
themselves exclusively to the description and analysis of
reshaping society".
facts, without taking sufficient care to understand these
facts in their broad social context, which have made The post-behaviouralists argue that the contemplative
behavioural Political Science" an ideology of social science might have been good in the nineteenth century
conservatism tempered by modest incremental change". when there was a broader moral agreement among
nations, but it was completely out of place in the
The behaviouralists had lost touch with 'brute realities of
contemporary society which was sharply divided over
polities'. The behaviouralists concentrated their efforts on
ideals and ideology.
abstraction and analysis. Because of the acute problems
and dangers of the world, it was no longer possible for They say that the behaviouralists should concentrate their
political scientists to close their eyes to the realities of the attention more and more upon action and not only on
situation. contemplative science. Their entire research should be
oriented towards studying the social and political ills of
The western world, though possessed of enormous wealth
the society and the methods to remove them.
and technical resources, yet it was moving towards
increasing social conflicts and deepening fear and anxieties Once it is admitted that the political scientists, being
about the future. The vital question arose if political intellectuals, have a positive role to play in the society,
scientists did not find the solution of the ills of society and then in order to achieve that goal it becomes inevitable
needs of mankind, then what was the use of the research of that all the professional associations as well as the
the behaviouralists? universities must be politicised.

The behaviouralists laid special emphasis on scientism and The beginning of the behavioural revolution in political
value-free approaches and totally ignored the role of science may be traced to the publication in 1908 of Human
values. The people did not like it because all knowledge Nature in Politics by Graham Wallas, and The Process of
had stood on value premises. There is no denying the fact Government by Arthur Bentley. As earlier pointed out, the
that the values played a significant role in political behavioral revolution in politics came as oppositional
21

research and the values were the propelling force behind response to the normative –philosophical and descriptive-
Page

knowledge. In the wake of scientific research, the values institutional orientations that were used for the study of
 Sunita Agarwal et al. / ASIO Journal of Humanities, Management & Social Sciences Invention, 2015, 1(1): 18-22

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