Question

Discuss the various techniques used in behaviour therapy to eliminate faulty behaviours.

Answer 1

The following methods are employed in behaviour treatment to get rid of undesirable or faulty behaviours:

1. Positive reinforcement: If the therapist observes an adapted behaviour, he or she may use positive reinforcement. For example, on days when the child was frequently caught with his thumb in his mouth, his mother would prepare his favourite meal.
2. Negative reinforcement: This term refers to the process of responding negatively to an unpleasant or unfavourable outcome. A mother can, for example, cover her son's thumb with a bitter neem paste to prevent him from developing a thumbsucking habit. Because of the bitterness, the child will stop thumb-sucking and will try to avoid or remove the bitterness of the thumb.
3. Aversive conditioning: It establishes a connection between negative behaviour and negative outcomes. Aversive therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves exposing a person to painful stimuli in order to change their abnormal behaviour.
4. Differential conditioning: This technique employs both positive and negative stimuli at the same time. This technique can be used to reduce undesirable behaviour while increasing desirable behaviour.