Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

588 CHAPTER 14 TherapiesBehavior TherapyKey Theme• Behavior therapy uses learning principles to directly change problembehaviors.Key Questions• What are the key assumptions of behavior therapy?• What therapeutic techniques are based on classical conditioning, and howare they used to treat psychological disorders and problems?• What therapy treatments are based on operant conditioning, and how arethey used to treat psychological disorders and problems?Behavior Therapy—From Bad Habits toSevere Psychological Disorders Nail bitingand cigarette smoking are examples of thekinds of everyday maladaptive behaviorsthat can be successfully treated with behaviortherapy. Behavioral techniques can alsobe used to treat more severe psychologicalproblems, such as phobias, and to improvefunctioning in people with severe mentaldisorders such as schizophrenia and autism.behavior therapyA type of psychotherapy that focuses ondirectly changing maladaptive behavior patternsby using basic learning principles andtechniques; also called behavior modification.counterconditioningA behavior therapy technique based onclassical conditioning that involves modifyingbehavior by conditioning a new responsethat is incompatible with a previouslylearned response.systematic desensitizationA type of behavior therapy in which phobicresponses are reduced by pairing relaxationwith a series of mental images or real-lifesituations that the person finds progressivelymore fear-provoking; based on theprinciple of counterconditioning.Psychoanalysis, client-centered therapy, and other insight-oriented therapies maintainthat the road to psychologically healthier behavior is through increased selfunderstandingof motives and conflicts. As insights are acquired through therapy,problem behaviors and feelings presumably will give way to more adaptive behaviorsand emotional reactions.However, gaining insight into the source of problems does not necessarily result indesirable changes in behavior and emotions. Even though you fully understand whyyou are behaving in counterproductive ways, your maladaptive or self-defeating behaviorsmay continue. For instance, an adult who is extremely anxious about publicspeaking may understand that he feels that way because he was raised by a critical anddemanding parent. But having this insight into the underlying cause of his anxiety maydo little, if anything, to reduce his anxiety or change his avoidance of public speaking.In sharp contrast to the insight-oriented therapies we discussed in the precedingsections, the goal of behavior therapy, also called behavior modification, is to modifyspecific problem behaviors, not to change the entire personality. And, rather thanfocusing on the past, behavior therapists focus on current behaviors.Behavior therapists assume that maladaptive behaviors are learned, just as adaptivebehaviors are. Thus, the basic strategy in behavior therapy involves unlearning maladaptivebehaviors and learning more adaptive behaviors in their place. Behavior therapistsemploy techniques that are based on the learning principles of classical conditioning,operant conditioning, and observational learning to modify the problem behavior.Techniques Based on Classical ConditioningJust as Pavlov’s dogs learned to salivate to a ringing bell that had become associatedwith food, learned associations can be at the core of some maladaptive behaviors,including strong negative emotional reactions. In the 1920s, psychologist JohnWatson demonstrated this phenomenon with his famous “Little Albert” study. InChapter 5, we described how Watson classically conditioned an infant known as LittleAlbert to fear a tame lab rat by repeatedly pairing the rat with a loud clangingsound. Over time, Albert’s conditioned fear generalized to other furry objects, includinga fur coat, cotton, and a Santa Claus mask (Watson & Rayner, 1920).Mary Cover JonesThe First Behavior TherapistWatson himself never tried to eliminate Little Albert’s fears. But Watson’s researchinspired one of his students, Mary Cover Jones, to explore ways of reversing conditionedfears. With Watson acting as a consultant, Jones (1924a) treated a 3-year-oldnamed Peter who “seemed almost to be Albert grown a bit older.” Like Little Albert,Peter was fearful of various furry objects, including a tame rat, a fur coat, cotton,and wool. Because Peter was especially afraid of a tame rabbit, Jones focusedon eliminating the rabbit fear. She used a procedure that has come to be known as