The Laws of Habit

In this talk, James reviews the composition and development of habit. By creating an environment that encourages the habit, making your intentions known and acting on opportunities to exercise your habit, James contends, individuals will feel more committed to making these changes. In terms of teaching, James applies the concept of habit to the classroom by calling upon teachers to seize the opportunity to demonstrate a good habit in action and have their students participate in it to reinforce the desired behavior. Again, James emphasizes the behavioral components of education “Education is for behavior, and habits are the stuff of which behavior consists” (p. 34).

Another important component of developing habits is feeding the habit. Using the example of Darwin’s loss of interest in poetry, James notes; “if not persistently fed with the appropriate matter, instead of growing into a powerful and necessary habit, it atrophies and dies, choke by the rival interests to which the daily food is given” (p. 37). James argues that the habits we establish early on in life have an impact on how we approach things later in life. This can be applied in a number of ways, from one’s self-discipline in studying to one’s interest in becoming better at a particular subject. However, James does not completely discount the idea of acquiring new habits later in life.

As someone who has studied music in some form for most of her life, I can relate to James’ laws and atrophy of habit in terms of my practice of music. When I was younger and studied music more seriously, I practiced often and it became a given that I would practice the piano at least once a day. As other things began to crowd in on my time, I began to play the piano less and less, until, at the present, I only play sporadically. Like Darwin, I have at times experienced pangs of regret that I did not keep up with my piano playing on a daily basis – when I go to play now after taking some time away from it, it is harder for me to build up my speed and acuity in reading music.

While I think that James is encouraging teachers to instill specific habits in children that will assist them later in life, I think that his principles of developing habits are the more important message of this talk. Learning how to form the habit is half the battle, and possessing these skills allows the individual to modify their behavior at any time. While catching bad habits early and correcting them is easier, having the capability to recognize a bad or inefficient habit at any stage of life is beneficial. As James notes, the second most important part of habit formation is the intent to see it through and the dedication to work at it daily. We hear this message all the time in terms of learning a new language, losing weight, starting an exercise regimen, or any sort of lifestyle change that we desire to obtain.

Given the diverse needs of students and individual differences in development and interests, what is the best way for a teacher to instill habit formation in the classroom? How do we help students transfer the skills needed to establish habits in one domain to another?