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• Classic-Fiction

Classical conditioning therapies involving reconditioning include the counterconditioning techniques of systematic desensitization, flooding, and aversive conditioning.

• Originally called reciprocal inhibition, systematic desensitization is a behavior therapy founded on the idea that an anxiety response is inhibited by an incompatible relaxation response. Joseph Wolpe explained systematic desensitization as reconditioning so that the crucial conditioned stimulus elicits the new conditioned response. The procedure has three steps. First, the client is taught progressive relaxation. Next, the therapist and client create an anxiety hierarchy of all associated fears from the least-feared to the most-feared stimulus. For example, for school phobia, they may list the following situations: thinking about going to school, seeing a picture of the school, getting on the school bus, walking toward the school, opening the school door, and finally sitting in the classroom. Third, the therapist has the student imagine each of the fearful associations beginning with the least feared stimulus, the mere thought about going to school. After the student can relax with this fear, the process is repeated, finally ascending to the most fear-provoking stimulus of actually sitting in the classroom. When the student can sit in the classroom and be completely relaxed, the relaxation response is effective for inhibiting the fear response. Systematic desensitization is typically accomplished within 10 sessions.

• Flooding is an exposure technique, another classical conditioning treatment for phobias and other anxiety disorders, that extinguishes the conditioned response. As a result of the client directly confronting the anxiety-provoking stimulus, extinction is achieved; the feared stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) is repeatedly presented without the reason for being afraid (the unconditioned stimulus). For example, if someone afraid of dogs is repeatedly exposed to friendly dogs that do not bite, the fear associated with the dogs will eventually be extinguished.

• Yet another form of behavior therapy based on the principles of classical conditioning, aversive conditioning, trains the client to associate physical or psychological discomfort with behaviors, thoughts, or situations he/she wants to stop or avoid. One example of aversive conditioning uses a drug called Antabuse (US) to discourage the use of alcohol. By itself, the drug has no chemical effect, but when paired with alcohol (CS), the combination causes extreme nausea (CR). Similar to taste aversions discussed in Chapter 10, after very few pairings of Antabuse and alcohol, the client learns to avoid alcohol. Without an occasional pairing of the Antabuse with the alcohol again, this new response can easily be extinguished.

Operant Conditioning Therapies

Operant conditioning therapies include contingency management techniques of behavior modification and token economies designed to change behavior by modifying its consequences. In both, rewards are used to reinforce target behaviors.

• In behavior modification, the client selects a goal and, with each step toward it, receives a small reward until the intended goal is finally achieved. Weight Watchers and other weight-reducing programs use this method to keep clients motivated.

• In token economies, positive behaviors are rewarded with secondary reinforcers (tokens, points, etc.), which can eventually be exchanged for extrinsic rewards, such as food. Token economies are often used in institutions to encourage socially acceptable behaviors and to discourage socially unacceptable ones.

Other Behavior Therapies

Social skills training is a behavior therapy, based on operant conditioning and Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, to improve interpersonal skills by using modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and shaping. With modeling, the client is encouraged to observe socially skilled people in order to learn appropriate behaviors. In behavioral rehearsal, the client practices the appropriate social