BEHAVIOR THERAPY

Omara Haq

Maidah Babar Mughal

Title and Content

 Definition
 Introduction
 History
 Principles & Case Studies
 Therapies / Techniques
 Key Terms
Definition & Introduction

 Behavior therapy involves principles of learning to change undesirable

behaviors.
 Therapists with this orientation believe that dysfunctional behaviors, like
phobias and bedwetting, can be changed by teaching clients new, more
constructive behaviors.
 Behavior therapy employs both classical and operant conditioning
techniques to change behavior.

TYPE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE

Patient learns to overcome fear

Principles of learning applied to
Behavior therapy of elevators through several
change undesirable behaviors
stages of relaxation techniques
.…Conti

 In behavior therapy, a therapist employs principles of learning from classical

and operant conditioning to help clients change undesirable behaviors.
 It is important to determine what the target behaviors of treatment will be
and to understand how frequently the behavior occurs at the present time.
This rate is called the baseline and enables the therapist to evaluate
whether the treatment is working by increasing a constructive behavior or
decreasing a problematic behavior compared to baseline.
 Behavioral therapy is action-based and tends to be highly focused
 Behavioral therapy is rooted in the principles of behaviorism, a school of
thought focused on the idea that we learn from our environment.
 HISTORY

John B. Watson (1878–

Watso 1958) was an influential Skinne
Pavlov
Russian n American psychologist r
physiologist most famous work B. F. Skinner (1904–
Ivan Pavlov (1849 occurred during the early 1990) was an
–1936). American psychologist
20th century at Johns
Hopkins University B. F. Skinner is famous
Watson was a major for his research on
proponent of shifting the operant
Early work in the conditioning
field of behavior focus of psychology from
the mind to behavior, He concentrated on
and this approach of how behavior was
Studied a form of
observing and controlling affected by its
learning behavior behavior came to be consequences
called a known as behaviorism Skinner spoke of
conditioned Known as the father of reinforcement and
reflex behaviorism within punishment as major
Pavlov’s psychology.
“classical
factors in driving
conditioning” is Watson preferred to behavior
only one form of focus directly on Focus on positive &
learning behavior observable behavior negative
studied by and try to bring that reinforcement
behaviorists. behavior under control.
Basic Principles

Classical Conditioning
 It involves forming associations between CASE STUDY
stimuli. Previously neutral stimuli are
 Emmie is eight years old and frequently
paired with a stimulus that naturally and
automatically evokes a response. After wets her bed at night. She’s been invited to
repeated pairings, an association is several sleepovers, but she won’t go
formed and the previously neutral because of her problem. Using a type of
stimulus will come to evoke the conditioning therapy, Emmie begins to sleep
response on its own. on a liquid-sensitive bed pad that is hooked
to an alarm. When moisture touches the
 Therapists using these techniques pad, it sets off the alarm, waking up Emmie.
believe that dysfunctional behaviors are When this process is repeated enough
conditioned responses times, Emmie develops an association
between urinary relaxation and waking up,
 Applying the conditioning principles and this stops the bedwetting. Emmie has
developed by Ivan Pavlov, these now gone three weeks without wetting her
therapists seek to recondition their bed and is looking forward to her first
clients and thus change their behavior. sleepover this coming weekend.
..…Conti

Operant Conditioning
 Operant conditioning focuses on how
reinforcement and punishment can be 
Positive Reinforcement can be
utilized to either increase or decrease
understood as the operation of
the frequency of a behavior. Behaviors
followed by desirable consequences
encouraging an approved behavior
are more likely to occur again in the by offering a reward as a stimulus,
future, while those followed by on showing that behavior.
negative consequences become less  negative reinforcement’, we mean
likely to occur.
that a reinforcer, i.e. stimulus is
 Use of reinforcers increase a removed, on performing a certain
behavior. If a behavior is no longer behavior.
reinforced, it will become
extinguished.
 Positive and negative reinforcement
 Difference between

BASIS FOR COMPARISON POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

Meaning Positive Reinforcement implies a Negative Reinforcement is one in

process of introducing a stimulus, which an unfavorable stimulus is
to increase the probability of removed for the purpose of
recurrence of a pattern or .encouraging good behavior
.behavior

Stimuli Added Removed

Consequences Stimuli have pleasant Stimuli have unpleasant
consequences consequences
Reinforcer acts as Reward Penalty
Results in Strengthening and maintaining .Avoiding and escaping responses
responses
Example Promotion as a reinforcement People wear helmets, to avoid
offered to the employees if they getting injured, in case of a road
.achieve the desired sales target .accident, or getting fined by cops
Operant Conditioning Techniques
 Designed to reinforce desirable  Eating disorders, mood disorders like
behaviors and punish unwanted depression, and sexual dysfunctions as well
behaviors are effective behavior as other disorders
modification tools to help children  Token economy Involves a controlled
with autism (Sallows & Graupner, setting. Where individuals are reinforced
2005). This technique is for desirable behaviors with tokens, such
called applied behavior as a poker chip or points that can be
analysis (ABA) exchanged for items or privileges. Patients
are rewarded with tokens when they
 Operant conditioning also plays a engage in positive behaviors (e.g.,
making their beds, brushing their teeth,
significant role in the formation and coming to the cafeteria on time, and
treatment of anxiety disorders socializing with other patients)
 Aggressive behavior also  Contingency management is a
frequently involves interdependent treatment approach that emphasizes
aspects of positive and negative operant conditioning,increasing sobriety
and adherence to treatment programs
reinforcement. through rewards,adapted to increase
abstinence in many different substance
abuse treatment programs
Classical Conditioning Techniques
 Commonly used classical conditioning
therapeutic technique
 .For example, an individual may be given a
is counterconditioning: a client learns a
new response to a stimulus that has shock every time they think about or
previously elicited an undesirable behavior. attempt to drink alcohol. By pairing this
aversive stimulus to the abused substance,
 Two counterconditioning techniques are the individual will begin to independently
aversive conditioning and exposure pair the substance with an aversive thought,
therapy thus reducing their craving/desire for the
substance
 Aversive conditioning uses an unpleasant
stimulus to stop an undesirable behavior.
Therapists apply this technique to eliminate  Exposure Therapy In exposure therapy, a
addictive behaviors, such as smoking, therapist seeks to treat clients’ fears or
nail-biting, and drinking. In aversion anxiety by presenting them with the object
therapy, clients will typically engage in a or situation that causes their anxiety with
specific behavior (such as nail biting) and at the idea that due to extinction they will
the same time are exposed to something eventually get used to it. This can be done
unpleasant, such as a mild electric shock a via reality, imagination, or virtual reality.
bad taste, or a repulsive odor. After repeated Also involve systematic desensitization,
associations between the unpleasant flooding, and modeling.
stimulus and the behavior, the client can
learn to stop the unwanted behavior.
 EXPOSURE THERAPY

Systematic
Virtual reality desensitization

in vivo imaginal
Flooding
exposure exposure Modelin
g
Exposure Therapy
 Exposure therapy was first reported in
1924 by Mary Cover Jones, who is
considered the mother of behavior
therapy. Jones worked with a three-
year-old boy named Peter who was
afraid of rabbits. Her goal was to
replace Peter’s fear of rabbits with a
conditioned response of relaxation,
which is a response that is
incompatible with fear. How did she do
it? Jones began by placing a caged
rabbit on the other side of a room with
Peter while he ate his afternoon snack.
Over the course of several days, Jones
moved the rabbit closer and closer to
where Peter was seated with his snack.
After two months of being exposed to
the rabbit while relaxing with his snack,
Peter was able to hold the rabbit and
pet it while eating (Jones, 1924)
 ?How does exposure therapy work
A person suffers from arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Through exposure therapy he is learning
how to face his fear in a controlled, therapeutic setting.
Virtual reality exposure therapy

 Uses a simulation rather than the actual feared object or situation to help people
conquer their fears

 Virtual reality exposure therapy has been used effectively to treat

numerous anxiety disorders such as the fear of public speaking,
claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), aviophobia (fear of flying), and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; a trauma and stressor-related
disorder) (Gerardi, Cukor, Difede, Rizzo, & Rothbaum, 2010).
 Virtual reality exposure therapy is being used to treat PTSD in soldiers. This
method of virtual reality exposure therapy has been effective in treating
PTSD for combat veterans. Approximately 80% of participants who
completed treatment saw clinically significant reduction in their symptoms
of PTSD, anxiety, and depression (Rizzo et al., 2010).
 Virtual Iraq video that shows soldiers being treated via simulation
.…Conti

Sytematic Desensitization
 Thirty years later, Joseph Wolpe (1958)  Systematic desensitization is an
refined Jones’s techniques, giving us the exposure technique that utilizes
behavior therapy technique of exposure relaxation strategies to help calm the
therapy that is used today. A popular individual as they are presented with
form of exposure therapy is systematic the fearful object. The notion behind
desensitization, wherein a calm and this technique is that both fear and
pleasant state is gradually associated relaxation cannot exist at the same
with increasing levels of anxiety-inducing time; therefore, the individual learns
stimuli. The idea is that you can’t be how to replace their fearful reaction
nervous and relaxed at the same time. with a calm, relaxing reaction.
Therefore, if you can learn to relax when
you are facing environmental stimuli that  The presentation of the feared
make you nervous or fearful, you can object/situation can be in person in
eventually eliminate your unwanted fear vivo exposure or it can be imagined
response (Wolpe, 1958) imaginal exposure.
…Conti

 Flooding is another exposure technique in which the clinician does not

utilize a fear hierarchy, but rather repeatedly exposes the individual to their
most feared object or situation. Similar to systematic desensitization,
flooding can be done in either in vivo or imaginal exposure. Clearly, this
technique is more intensive than systematic or gradual exposure to feared
objects. Because of this, patients are at a greater likelihood of dropping out
of treatment, thus not successfully overcoming their phobias.
 Modeling is another common technique used to treat phobias (Kelly,
Barker, Field, Wilson, & Reynolds, 2010). In this technique, the clinician
approaches the feared object/subject while the patient observes. As the
name implies, the clinician models appropriate behaviors when exposed to
the feared stimulus, showing that the phobia is irrational. After modeling
several times, the clinician encourages the patient to confront the feared
stimulus with the clinician, and then ultimately, without the clinician.
.…Conti

 Social skills training. This treatment is specific to social anxiety disorder

as it focuses on the patient’s skill deficits or inadequate social interactions
that contribute to their negative social experiences and anxiety. During a
session, the clinician may use a combination of skills such as modeling,
corrective feedback, and positive reinforcement to provide feedback and
encouragement to the patient regarding their behavioral interactions
(Rodebaugh, Holaway, & Heimberg, 2004). By incorporating the clinician’s
feedback into their social repertoire, the patient can engage in positive
social behaviors outside of the treatment room and improve their overall
social interactions while reducing ongoing social anxiety.
 Key terms
counterconditioning
classical conditioning therapeutic technique in which a client learns a new response to a stimulus that has previously elicited an
undesirable behavior

behavior therapy
therapeutic orientation that employs principles of learning to help clients change undesirable behaviors

exposure therapy
counterconditioning technique in which a therapist seeks to treat a client’s fear or anxiety by presenting the feared object or situation with
the idea that the person will eventually get used to it

virtual reality exposure therapy

uses a simulation rather than the actual feared object or situation to help people conquer their fears

systematic desensitization
form of exposure therapy used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders by exposing a person to the feared object or situation through a stimulus
hierarchy
 LINKS & REFERENCES
https://youtu.be/RhU59QjuVqI

Behavior Therapy on Reduction of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms: A

Comparative Study. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 5(1), pp-147
:Hart, C. & Ksir, C. (2014). Drugs, society, and human behavior (15th ed.). East Windsor, NJ
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
References – 3rd edition 5TR – version 3.5 – 25