KEY CONCEPTS:
"Focus is on overt behavior, precision in specifying goals of treatment, development of specific treatment plans, and objective evaluation of therapy outcomes. Present behavior is given attention. Therapy is based on the principles of learning theory. Normal behavior is learned through reinforcement and imitation. Abnormal behavior is the result of faulty learning" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).
PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE THEORY:
"B.F. Skinner (1904 - 1990) was a prominent spokesperson for behaviorism and can be considered the father of the behavioral approach to psychology. Skinner championed radical behaviorism, which places primary emphasis on the effects of environment on behavior" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).
"Albert Bandura (b. 1925) and his colleagues did pioneering work in the area of social modeling and demonstrated that modeling is a powerful process that explains diverse forms of learning. He explored social learning theory and the prominent role of observational learning and social modeling in human motivation, thought, and action" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).
GOALS OF THEORY:
"To eliminate maladaptive behaviors and learn more effective behaviors. To identify factors that influence behavior and find out what can be done about problematic behavior. To encourage clients to take an active and collaborative role in clearly setting treatment goals and evaluating how well these goals are being met" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).
TECHNIQUES USED:
"The therapist is active and directive and functions as a teacher or mentor in helping clients learn more effective behavior. Clients must be active in the process and experiment with new behaviors. Although a quality client-therapist relationship is not viewed as sufficient to bring about change, it it considered essential for implementing behavioral procedures" (Gerald & Corey, 2013).
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