46.6 Form of Autoclitic Tact

It is important to remember that behavior cannot be classified on the basis of its form alone. Just as “fire” may be a mand to a firing squad or a tact of a flame, “I think” may be a tact of the weakness of a controlling relationship or merely a form of echoic behavior. If someone asks, “What do you think?” we often begin to reply by saying, “I think…” regardless of the strength of the controlling relationship involving the upcoming response. “I think” may be somewhat mand-like if the listener reacting to the upcoming primary verbal behavior as if it were weakly controlled would be currently reinforcing to the speaker.