Behaviour therapy

BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
D. DUTTA ROY
LECTURE NOTE
PERFORMING ART THERAPY CENTER
RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA
DATED 21.2.2011

Behavior therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on changing undesirable behaviors. Behavior therapy involves identifying objectionable, maladaptive behaviors and replacing them with healthier types of behavior. This type of therapy is also referred to a behavior modification therapy.This therapy evolves through experiments on learning by Pavlov and B. F. Skinner. Former developed Classical and later developed operant conditioning.
This model does not consider subject's feeling rather it consider's subject's action. It includes the followings:

SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION
It was developed by Joseph Wolpe based on counterconditioning behaviour principle.



To begin the process of systematic desensitization, one must first be taught relaxation skills in order to extinguish fear and anxiety responses to specific phobias. Once the individual has been taught these skills, he or she must use them to react towards and overcome situations in an established hierarchy of fears. The goal of this process is that an individual will learn to cope and overcome the fear in each step of the hierarchy, which will lead to overcoming the last step of the fear in the hierarchy. Systematic desensitization is sometimes called graduated exposure therapy. It consists three steps:

Relaxation training
Hierarchy construction
Desensitization of stimulus

slides:
Good article: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/systematic-desensitization.html




GRADED EXPOSURE: It is similar to systematic desensitization except relaxation training.
FLOODING: Encouraging the patient to actually confront the feared situation. No relaxation exercises are used as in systematic desensitization.
A variant of flooding is called implosion, in which the feared object or situation is confronted only in the imagination.
PARTICIPANT MODELLING: It refers to having the patient learn by imitation. The patient learns new behaviour by observation.
ASSERTIVENESS AND SOCIAL SKILL TRAINING: It teaches people how to respond appropriately in social situations to express their opinions in acceptable ways, and to achieve their goals. Food shopping,looking for work, interacting with other people and overcoming shyness.
AVERSION THERAPY: Presentation of noxious stimulus (punishment) immediately after a specific behavioural response.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: Rewarding desired behaviour using token economy.