Behavior therapy

BEHAVIOR THERAPY

“Behavior therapy is based on the principles of learning theory”

            The basic assumption of this therapy is that maladaptive behavior can be changed without insight into its underlying causes. Behavioral symptoms are taken at face value and not as symptoms of a deeper problem.

            Behavior therapy is based on the principles of learning theory, including operant and classical conditioning. Operant conditioning is based on the premise that behavior is shaped by its consequences; if behavior is positively reinforced, it will increase; if it is punished, it will decrease; and if it elicits no response, it will be extinguished. Classical conditioning is based on the premise that behavior is shaped by being coupled with or uncoupled from anxiety-provoking stimuli. Just as Ivan Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell once the bell had become associated with meat, a person can be conditioned to feel fear in neutral situations that have come to be associated with anxiety. Uncouple the anxiety from the situation, and the avoidant and anxious behavior will decrease.

            Behavior therapy is believed to be most effective for clearly delineated, circumscribed, maladaptive behaviors (e.g., phobias, compulsions, overeating, cigarette smoking, stuttering, and sexual dysfunctions). In the treatment of conditions that can be strongly affected by psychological factors (e.g., hypertension, asthma, pain, and insomnia), behavioral techniques can be used to induce relaxation and decrease aggravating stresses.