Behaviorism
You may also meet a therapist who is a proponent of Behaviorism, or states that he or she uses “Behavioral” approaches as part of the therapeutic process. Behaviorism was first discovered by John B. Watson, and further developed by B.F. Skinner. As the name of the modality implies, the focus is on behavior, and what is considered “observable.”
In contrast to Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic approaches, Behaviorism is not concerned about intrapersonal experiences or the subconscious. For a Behaviorist, the focus is on identifying what has contributed to a behavior continuing. A therapist using this modality will explore the consequences of that behavior, and how to change it. In other words, the focus is on how to change what you “learned” through a process called “conditioning.” If you ever heard of Pavlov, his experiments were all about this!
The Behavioral approach is used in many different settings such as therapy offices, residential homes, schools, or hospitals. Many settings utilize a Behavior Management System, which uses Behavioral principles. Also, the Behavioral approach can be part of individual or family therapy.
In order to change whatever you are going to therapy to work on, the Behavioral approach will identify what in your life “reinforces” it continuing. Then, your therapist is likely to work with you on changing that pattern of learning, by creating a plan of action, also known as a Behavior Modification Plan.
Also see: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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