Why study history through a behavior analytic lens?

Historic events and movements are shaped by human behavior. The choices people make and actions they take are shaped by their environment and their own learning histories. How can we re-examine these events through a behavior analytic lens to understand how and why things happened and apply that knowledge to future behaviors?

I have loved studying history since I was a young girl. My favorite parts of history have always been discovering how people live, where they settle, what they do for work, what they eat, what they wear, how they communicate, and how they made the decisions that drove what happened next. As an adult studying behavior analysis, I have come to realize that what I love about studying history is connected to my work as a behavior analyst. How do social reform movements, changing trends, shifting morals and ideals, clashing viewpoints, and the influence of art, music, and literature shape and change the behaviors of the individual, groups, and nations?

Discovering the motivating operations, setting events, human behaviors, environmental and social contingencies at play, and consequences that shaped behavior in key historic events and movements not only helps us understand the past, but can also empower us to change future outcomes.