Behavioral Therapy

Behaviorism see psychological disorders as the result of maladaptive learning, as people are born tabula rasa (a blank slate). They do not assume that sets of symptoms reflect single underlying causes.

Behaviorism assumes that all behavior is learnt from the environment and symptoms are acquired through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Classical conditioning involves learning by association and is usually the cause of most phobias. Operant conditioning involves learning by reinforcement (e.g. rewards) and punishment, and can explain abnormal behavior should as eating disorders.

Therapies

behavioral therapies are based on the theory of classical conditioning.  The premise is that all behavior is learned; faulty learning (i.e. conditioning) is the cause of abnormal behavior. Therefore the individual has to learn the correct or acceptable behavior.  An important feature of behavioral therapy is its focus on current problems and behavior, and on attempts to remove behavior the patient finds troublesome. This contrasts greatly with psychodynamic therapy (re: Freud), where the focus is much more on trying to uncover unresolved conflicts from childhood (i.e. the cause of abnormal behavior).  Examples of behavior therapy include:

• Systematic Desensitization
• Aversion Therapy
• Flooding

The theory of classical conditioning suggests a response is learned and repeated through immediate association.  behavioral therapies based on classical conditioning aim to break the association between stimulus and undesired response (e.g. phobia, additional etc.).

Behavior Modification Therapy

Behavior modification is a set of therapies / techniques based on operant conditioning, i.e. the reinforcement of desired behaviors and ignoring or punishing undesired ones. This is not as simple as it sounds — always reinforcing desired behavior, for example, is basically bribery.

Behavior modification therapy is much used in clinical and educational psychology, particularly with people with learning difficulties.  In the conventional learning situation it applies largely to issues of class- and student management, rather than to learning content. It is very relevant to shaping skill performance, however.  It applies at the micro-level: student feedback of high marks for good work is only behavior modification in the broadest and weakest sense, whereas attention and praise at the second-by-second level are much more likely to follow its principles.

A simple way of giving positive reinforcement in behavior modification is in providing compliments, approval, encouragement, and affirmation; a ratio of five compliments for every one complaint is generally seen as being the most effective in altering behavior in a desired manner.  Examples of behavior modification therapy include token economy and behavior shaping