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Behavior Therapy
• Dr. Sparrow EPSY 6363
Background
• Reaction to psychoanalysis
• lack of objectivity
• based on “black box” of the
unconscious
• long-term
• concepts that could not be verified
• avoided the obvious
Founding Concepts
• Classical conditioning -- neutral stimulus paired with
“unconditional stimulus” will produce response
• Wolpe’s systematic desensitization is way to resolve
phobias created through classical condition
• Operant conditioning -- behavior that is rewarded will be
repeated; learning cannot occur without reinforcement. Early
behavior theorists rejected “black box” of mediational concepts.
Problem: donkey and bales of hay.
Founding Concepts
• Social learning theory -- an interactional, interdisciplinary
approach which combines the above earlier approaches with
observational learning.
•
Cognition became important
• This is triadic reciprocal interaction between 1) environment,
2) internal factors and 3) behavior.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy, importance of self talk. Cognitive
restructuring.
View of Human Nature
• Humans are producers and product of environment
• Current approach focuses on giving clients more
control and freedom
• Mechanistic views of early behaviorist rejected in
favor of self determination
• Convergence with humanistic therapy
• action oriented
• subjective realm is gaining importance
• role of responsibility
Basic Assumptions
• Based on scientific method -- objective and measurable
symptoms and goals
• Present oriented
• Clients expected to take active role
• Teaching skills of self management
• Focus is on changing behavior
• Self control and self management
• Individually tailored, and culturally appropriate approaches
• Collaborative relationship, and fully informed clients
• Practical applications
Goals of therapy
• Increase choice
• Create new conditions for learning
• Formulation of clear goals through
collaborative client-governed approach
Role of the therapist
• Consultants and problem solvers
• Conduct formal assessment
• Formulate treatment goals
• Formulate plan for generalizing and
maintaining change
• Evaluate
• Follow up
Client’s Experience
• Clearly defined role
• Active role for client and therapist
• Encouraged to experiment
• Actions must follow plans
• Termination is based on clear goals
being met.
The Therapeutic
Relationship
• Most behavioral therapists accept the
importance of therapist warmth, etc., but
believe these factors are not sufficient to
sustain change.
• Specific behavioral techniques account
for the progress.
Behavioral Techniques
• Operant conditioning techniques
• positive reinforcement
• negative reinforcement
• punishment, positive and negative -- limited value
• The Functional Assessment Model
• Relaxation training
• Systematic desensitization
Behavioral Techniques,
continued
• Exposure therapies
• In vivo desensitization
• flooding
• in vivo
• imaginal
• EMDR
• Assertion training
• Self management programs
Behavioral Techniques,
continued
• Multimodal therapy -- Arnold Lazarus
• technical eclecticism
• basic i.d. -- behavior, affect, sensation,
imagery, cognition, interpersonal,
drugs/biology
• brief and comprehensive
• role of therapist to be authentic
chameleons
Integrating Behavioral Techniques
with Psychoanalysis
• Three phases
• object relations as a model for clarifying
early formation of relationships;
therapist participates in historic review
• there and then become insight for here
and now relationship patterns
• behavioral techniques and homework to
maximize change