Skinner as Self‐manager

B. F. Skinner was a remarkably productive, creative, and happy individual, in large part because of his expertise in self‐management, a set of self‐change skills that derive to some extent from his own scientific and theoretical work. Skinner's ardent defense of determinism appears to conflict with his views on self‐control; although determinism can be reconciled with these views, we would be best served by dispensing with the “ism” and focusing instead on relevant data and data‐driven theories. Contemporary research on self‐control has diverged from Skinner's formulation in a number of ways, especially in focusing on cognition and choice. The extraordinary success Skinner had in applying self‐management principles to his life should inspire us to take a closer look at the potential value such principles may have for society.