Making Something out of Nothing or Very Little: A Tale of How to Plant Seeds of Behavior Analysis, How to Cultivate Them, and Enjoy Watching Them Grow and Multiply

This chapter tells the story of how the academic environment at the psychology department of the University of Iceland created a radical behaviorist who then learned to be a behavior analyst in the United States. The mission of establishing behavior analysis in the small society of Iceland, where behavior analysis barely existed, was born at some point in the process. With vision, commitment, much hard work, and endless patience, the mission was accomplished. A little help from friends and colleagues both outside and inside the field, some national and others international, provided encouragement, support, and reinforcers needed for endurance. Showing successful applications whenever possible in various contexts were the main tools used. Focusing always on progress made, accepting occasional failures, and welcoming big and small opportunities to disseminate the science of behavior analysis were helpful strategies even when the road was rocky and the walk uphill. Motivating students and building momentum for studies in behavior analysis abroad when none were available in the country was a very fruitful activity. This all resulted in a growing demand for behavior analysis in the community and new people who could meet some of the demand. The newest results are two master programs in behavior analysis in two universities and ongoing work towards establishing standards for a new profession of behavior analysts in the society.