Watson is often called the founding father of behaviorism. Born in 1878 in Greenville, South Carolina, to Emma and Pickens Watson. Growing up with a very religious mother he opposed religion. As a young man, Watson was very troubled and was arrested twice for fighting and disorderly behavior. Academically, he performed very poorly. His mother had some very important connections that allowed him to be accepted into Furman University in South Carolina. Watson earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago, received his doctorate in 1903, and later became an associate professor of psychology at John Hopkins University . He believed that psychology should be viewed as behavioral and should be subject to predicting and controlling such actions. Watson believed that experimental study should be based on environmental and human behavior.