behavior therapy

(noun)

An approach to psychotherapy that focuses on a set of methods designed to reinforce desired behaviors and eliminate undesired behaviors, without concerning itself with the psychoanalytic state of the subject.

Related Terms

  • condition
  • Hans Eysench
  • behaviorism

Examples of behavior therapy in the following topics:

  • Classical Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy

  • Operant Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy

  • Behavioral Therapies

  • Behavior Therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis

    • Behavior therapy is based on the idea that maladaptive behavior is learned, and thus adaptive behavior can also be learned.
    • Behavior therapy is a treatment approach that is based on the idea that abnormal behavior is learned.
    • Exposure therapy was first reported in 1924 by Mary Cover Jones, who is considered the mother of behavior therapy.
    • In the second half of the 20th century, many therapists coupled behavior therapy with the cognitive therapy of Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis, forming cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
    • Discuss the goals, techniques, and efficacy of behavior therapy and applied behavior analysis
  • Cognitive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

    • Cognitive therapy (CT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are closely related; however CBT is an umbrella category of therapies that includes cognitive therapy.
    • The category refers to behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and therapies based on a combination of basic behavioral and cognitive principles and research, including dialectical behavior therapy.
    • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) works to solve current problems and change unhelpful thinking and behavior.
    • At its most basic level, it is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy.
    • During the 1980s and 1990s, cognitive and behavioral techniques were merged into cognitive-behavioral therapy.
  • Evaluation of Psychological Therapy Options

    • Therapy falls into two general categories: individual and group therapy.
    • Forms of therapy include, but are not limited to: psychoanalytic, gestalt, existential, person-centered, reality, Adlerian, transactional analysis, rational-emotive behavior, and behavior therapies.
    • One criticism of reality therapy is that it discounts past or traumatic experiences as influences of current behaviors.
    • Adlerian therapy was founded by Alfred Adler, who believed in social determinants for behavior such as the influence of the past and social relations.
    • Behavior therapy focuses on behavior and uses the scientific method as a means of approaching maladaptive behaviors.
  • Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapy

    • One such approach is psychodynamic therapy, which studies the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions, as well as how they may relate to early childhood experience.
    • Psychodynamic theory emphasizes the systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behavior.
    • In the treatment of psychological distress, psychodynamic therapies target the client's inner conflict, from where repressed behaviors and emotions surface into the patient's consciousness.
    • In 2013, the world's largest randomized controlled trial on therapy with anorexia outpatients, the ANTOP study, proved modified psychodynamic therapy to be more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy in the long term.
    • A French 2004 report from INSERM said that psychodynamic therapy is less effective than other psychotherapies (including cognitive behavioral therapy) for certain diseases.
  • Other Approaches to Therapy

    • Expressive therapy, also known as expressive arts therapy and creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a form of therapy.
    • Transgenerational therapy: dealing with transgenerational transmission of unhelpful patterns of belief and behavior.
    • There was initially a strong influence from psychoanalysis (most of the early founders of the field had psychoanalytic backgrounds) and social psychiatry, and later from learning theory and behavior therapy.
    • According to a 2004 French government study, family and couples therapy was the second most effective therapy after cognitive-behavioral therapy.
    • Using this method, families can be helped by finding patterns of behavior, what the causes are, and what can be done to better their situation.
  • Group Therapy

    • While group therapy is sometimes used alone, it is more often used as part of a greater treatment plan that may include one-on-one therapy and/or medication.
    • Group therapy can be based on any theoretical approach, from cognitive-behavioral to humanistic.
    • These principles summarize the benefits of group therapy:
    • Existential factors: Group therapy helps members realize that they are responsible for their own lives, behaviors, and decisions.
    • Imitative behavior: One way in which group members can develop social skills is through a modeling process, observing and imitating the therapist and other group members.
  • Body-Oriented Psychotherapies

    • Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship-building, dialogue, communication, and behavior change that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or to improve family or group relationships (such as in a family).
    • In addition to the more common forms of psychotherapy (including humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches), there are several alternative, body-oriented therapies that serve specific purposes.
    • Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy used to create unconscious change in the patient in the form of new responses, thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, or feelings.
    • As with many alternative therapies, body-oriented therapy is criticized for its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence.
    • In addition, the importance of ethical issues in body-oriented therapy has been highlighted on account of the intimacy of the techniques used in several kinds of therapies.
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