This week we will learn how behavior therapy works, and one of its most well-researched techniques.
Basic Concepts
The basic concept behind behavior therapy is that people learn how to behave as a result of past consequences. If past behaviors were punished (resulted in a negative consequence), then the person is likely to avoid those behaviors, even when they are no longer punished. On the other hand, if past behaviors were rewarded (resulted in a positive consequence), then the behavior is likely to be repeated, even if they are no longer rewarded.
According to a behaviorist, people get into trouble when their behavior is no longer functional. For example, a person may have learned to avoid cats because he was once bitten by a rabid neighborhood cat. His behavior is functional for that particular cat, but does not generalize well. Meaning, not all cats are rabid. If he spends the rest of his life avoiding all cats, he will not be living a fully functional life. And he definitely couldn’t work in an animal shelter.
How to Help People
Behavior therapy teaches a person new behaviors. Assessment focuses on the how, what, where and when rather than the why. Unlike psychoanalysis, and to a certain degree some of the cognitive theories, it is not necessary to examine the root cause. Rather, the problem is identified solely in terms of how the undesirable behavior can be defined and measured.
Assessment
Various techniques can be used in the assessment process:
- Guided Imagery. Client reactions can be assessed by having the client imagine a certain situation by picturing it in their mind, and then reporting any thoughts or feelings that come to mind.
- Role Playing. The therapist plays the role of the person who is causing a problem in the client’s life, and the client plays themselves. The problematic behavior is then displayed for the therapist, who can assess it via observation.
- Self-Monitoring. The client keeps a record of the problematic behavior. For example, a client with a problem spending too much money on clothes would record the number of times she shops for clothes during the week. This can actually serve as both assessment and monitoring of progress.
- Psychological Tests. Examples include: Marks and Matthews Fear Questionnaire (1979), Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw & Emery, 1979), Rathus (1973) assertion inventory , and the Locke and Wallace (1959) inventory of marital adjustment.*
Treatment
One of the most common and well-researched techniques in behavior therapy is systematic desensitization with imagery. After the problem is identified, a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations related to the problem is created by the therapist with input from the client. The client then imagines each situation on the hierarchy, starting with the least anxiety-provoking, and only moving to the next when the anxiety has abated. In our rabid cat example, the client may start by imagining himself in the house with the cat outside in a cage. The next step might be the cat right outside his door, and so forth. The theory is that the body will naturally adjust to the stressor by learning how to cope. The use of relaxation techniques in this process is debatable, with some researchers stating that it interferes with the body’s natural coping, and could create dependency.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barbara LoFrisco
* source: Current Psychotherapies by Raymond J. Corsini and Danny Wedding
