Chapter Seven: Behavioral
Theory and Therapy
Historical Context
 The Third Force
– Behaviorism as science
– Little Hans and Little Albert
– Little Peter
 Behavior Therapy
– Skinner
– Wolpe/Lazarus/Rachman
Theoretical Principles of Behavioral
Theory and Therapy
 Based on Learning Theory
 Strong allegiance to efficacy research
Theoretical Models of Applied
Learning Theory
 Applied Behavioral Analysis
 Neobehavioristic, Mediational Stimulus-
Response Model
 Social Learning Theory
 Cognitive Behavioral
Theory of Psychopathology
 All behavior, both adaptive and
maladaptive, is learned.
 “Pathology” is inadequate learning or skills
deficit
The Practice of Behavior
Therapy
 Preparing yourself
 Preparing your client
 Assessment Issues and Procedures
Specific Therapy Techniques
 Operant Conditioning
 Relaxation Training
 Systematic Desensitization
 Other Exposure-Based Treatments
Specific Therapy Techniques
(continued)
 Skills Training
– Assertiveness and other social behavior
– Problem solving
Extended Case Examples
 Assessment
 Medical consult
 Specific behavioral interpretations and
instructions
Therapy Outcomes Research
 Historical comments
 Specific treatment for specific disorders
 Conceptual commentary
Multicultural Perspectives
 Some cultures prefer active, directive
qualities of behavioral treatments
Concluding Comments
 Behavior therapy has evolved
 Less deterministic
 Admirable allegiance to research
Student Review Assignments
 Critical corner
 Reviewing key terms
 Review questions
Critical Corner
 Some critics might claim that behavior therapy is
fundamentally flawed because it involves one
person (a designated expert) teaching another
person (a vulnerable client) about what’s normal
and acceptable behavior. Although behaviorists
may hide behind “symptom reduction” as their
lofty goal, in reality, they are simply teaching
clients to ignore symptoms and the symptom’s
important underlying messages to the client.
Critical Corner (continued)
 Despite the emphasis in this chapter on the
flexible, clinically astute behavior therapist,
most behavior therapists are just
technicians. For the most part, they aren’t
attuned to or very interested in client’s
feelings, the dynamics of the therapy
relationship or life’s meaning and so they
ignore these bigger issues, focusing instead
on trivial and less important matters.
Critical Corner (continued)
 Although there is ample scientific evidence
attesting to the efficacy of behavior therapy,
behavior therapists have generated most of this
evidence. There is no doubt that behavior therapy
researcher bias exists and that behavior therapist
researchers construct outcome measures that rig
the outcomes in their favor. Overall, the promotion
of behavior therapies as “Empirically Validated
Therapies” smacks of a business-related scam
designed to improve insurance reimbursement
rates for behaviorally oriented therapy providers.
Critical Corner (continued)
 The length to which behavior therapists will
go to dehumanize individuals is scary.
Examples include aversive conditioning
using electric shock, token economies that
curtail the freedom and dignity of patients,
and the excessive punishment of children in
our schools. The biggest problem with
behavior therapy is that humans are treated
more like rats or pigeons than humans.
Critical Corner (continued)
Critical Corner (continued)
 Behavior therapy is currently governed by so
many divergent learning theories that the entire
field is not much more than a hodge-podge of
different techniques. If you look hard, you’ll find
it’s difficult to find an underlying theory that
guides the entire field. This lack of backbone will
only get worse until behavior therapy begins to
base itself on a coherent theory—rather than
simply basing itself on scientific methodology.
Review Key Terms
 Behavior therapy
 Behaviorism
 Classical conditioning
 Operant conditioning
 Counter-conditioning
 Applied behavior analysis
 Stimulus-Response (S-R) theory
 Neobehavioristic mediational S-R model
Key Terms (continued)
 Stimulus generalization
 Stimulus discrimination
 Extinction
 Spontaneous recovery
 Social learning theory
 Observational learning
 Positive reinforcement
 Punishment
Key Terms (continued)
 Negative reinforcement
 Systematic desensitization
 Self-efficacy
 Cognitive-behavioral therapy
 Behavioral ABCs
 Operational definition
 Self-monitoring
 Token economy
Key Terms (continued)
 Fading
 Aversive conditioning
 Progressive muscle relaxation
 Exposure treatment
 Imaginal and in-vivo exposure
 Massed vs. spaced exposure
 Virtual reality exposure
 Interoceptive exposure
Key Terms (continued)









Response prevention
Participant modeling
Skills training
Assertiveness training
Problem-solving
Generating behavioral alternatives
Breathing retraining
Overbreathing
Empirically validated treatments
Review Questions
 Discuss the relative importance of John Watson
and Mary Cover Jones in the development of
applied behavior therapy techniques. Which of
these researchers amassed a large amount of
practical information about counter-conditioning?
 Who is the historical figure to which applied
behavior analysis can be traced? Do applied
behavior analysts believe in using cognitive
constructs to understand human behavior?
Review Questions
 What is the difference between S-R theory
and neobehavioristic S-R theory?
 Explain how self-efficacy can be viewed as
a cognitive variable in a therapy situation.
 What is the difference between counterconditioning and extinction? Which of these
experimental procedures is most directly
linked to response prevention? Which one is
linked to systematic desensitization?
Review Questions
 List and describe the behavioral ABCs.
 What are the main methods that behavior
therapists use to teach clients assertiveness skills?
 What are the five steps of problem-solving that
behavior therapists teach clients as a part of skills
training? Which of these steps was illustrated in
the therapy excerpt with the aggressive
adolescent?
Review Questions
 In the case example involving Richard, it’s clear
that Richard does not initially believe all of the
educational information that his therapist is
providing him. Is the therapist concerned about
Richard’s disbelief? If so, what strategies does the
therapist use to work on Richard’s adherence to
therapy?
 Explain how overbreathing can be used in an
interoceptive exposure model? Why is this
approach especially appropriate for clients with
Panic Disorder?