"No such thing as a bad boy" Ignite compassion for problematic behavior | Dr. Pat Friman | TEDxOmaha

Time to ignite compassion. Especially, says Dr. Pat Friman, in a world where we are faced with circumstances beyond our control, that may cause us, and those around us to react in ways we would not normally. In the words of Father Flanigan founder of Boys Town when the community were quick to condemn the bad behavior of roaming bands of orphan boys plaguing the city, he said, “there are no bad boys, only bad environment, bad training, bad example, bad thinking” therefore it is the bad circumstances that causes the behavior. This circumstantial view of problematic behavior seeks to fix the problem not blame the person, because the cause is unknown. We don’t know what the proverbial ‘baby in the backseat’ might be, and we don’t know what is causing the behavior. Time to show compassion and take that first step to change. Compassion ignited civilization, it is time to follow the example of some of the greatest human beings throughout time, who have shown compassion towards those who have sought to harm and hurt. Dr. Patrick C. Friman is Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska School of Medicine. Former positions include Johns Hopkins University, Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. A published author of over 200 scientific articles, chapters and three books, focusing primarily on scientific and clinical work is in Behavioral Pediatrics and Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Friman’s work in behavioral pediatrics has concentrated on the gap between primary medical care for children on one side, and referral-based clinical child psychological and psychiatric care, on the other. A secondary focus is on adolescent behavior and development. He also specializes in consultation regarding workplace issues such as motivation, dealing with difficult people, change, happiness and pathways to success. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx