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Behaviour Therapy
Behaviour Therapy
Behaviour Therapy
INTRODUCTION:
Every individual is best understood and evaluated by the way he thinks, feels, and
behaves.
Behaviour, according to the psychologists, is a learnt activity, and can be unlearned
and relearned.
Thus, there is a hope for the psychiatric patients whom we know have an alteration in
behaviour more towards a maladaptive type.
Thus, this maladaptive behaviour may be unlearned and adaptive behaviour may be
relearned.
Thus, comes the role of behaviour therapy and therapists.
Behaviour therapy involves identifying maladaptive behaviors and seeking to correct
these by applying the Principles of Learning derived from the following theories:
Classical Conditioning Model by Ivan Pavlov (1936)
Operant Conditioning Model by BF Skinner (1953)
DEFINITION:
“It is a form of psychotherapy/treatment for problem in which a trained person deliberately
establishes a professional relationship with the patient, with the objective of removing or
modifying existing symptoms and promoting positive personality, growth and development.”
“Behaviour therapy or behaviour modification is the attempt to alter human behaviour and
emotions in a beneficial way according to the laws of modern learning theory.”
- Eysenck’s
1. SYSTEMIC DESENSITIZATION:
It was developed by Joseph Wolpe, based on the behavioral principle of counter
conditioning.
In this, patient attain a state of complete relaxation and are then exposed to the
stimulus that elicits the anxiety response.
The negative reaction of anxiety is inhibited by the relaxed state, a process called
reciprocal inhibition.
It consists of three main steps:
A) Relaxation training
B) Hierarchy construction
C) Desensitization of the stimulus
A) Relaxation training:
There are many methods which can be used to induce relaxation. Some of them are:
Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation
Hypnosis
Meditation or yoga
Mental imagery
Biofeedback
B) Hierarchy construction:
Here the patient is asked to list all the conditions which provoke anxiety.
Then he is asked to list them in a descending order of anxiety provocation.
3. AVERSION THERAPY:
Pairing of the pleasant with an unpleasant response, so that even in absence of the
unpleasant response the pleasant stimulus becomes unpleasant by association.
Punishment is presented immediately after a specific behavioral response and the
response is eventually inhibited.
Unpleasant response is produced by electric stimulus, drugs, social disapproval or
even fantasy.
Such as putting a bitter taste on nails or tongue for nail biting, giving drug like
apomorphine which cause nausea & vomiting on taking alcohol or an electric shock to
treat a child with enuresis and eating unhealthy food.
Typically, 20-40 session are given, with each session lasting about 1 hour.
After completion of treatment, booster session may be given.
Indications: Alcohol abuse, Paraphilias, Homosexuality, Transvestism
b) Token economy: This program involves giving token rewards for appropriate or
desired target behaviors performed by the patient. The token can later be exchanged for
other rewards. For example, in inpatient hospital wards, patients receive a reward for
performing a desired behaviour, such as tokens which they may use to purchase luxury
items or certain privileges.
e.g., a patient with schizophrenia does not maintain personal hygiene. The day he
maintains he gets a token as reinforcer that he can watch T.V. when he desires. Like this
he is able to collect many tokens & adapt behaviors which is socially acceptable. Like
maintaining personal hygiene. Sometimes in return of tokens the patient may exchange
then by asking for PAROLE.