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PYC4809 Assignment 2
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
PYC4809 Assignment 2
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PYC4809 Assignment 2Student No 4646-325-9 Unique No 733726
Assignment 02: Compulsory assignment for examination admission
Unique number: PYC4809 - 733726
Section A
1. Briefly describe a therapeutic approach of your choice. (Three to four
typed pages only.) We suggest that you use extra scientific sources of
information – apart from the prescribed book when answering this
question.
Behavior therapy
Behavior therapy refers to a wide range of therapeutic techniques and
principles which ultimately work to change or improve dysfunctional or
abnormal behaviors. The ultimate goal being to support and strengthen the
development of positive or desired behaviors while reducing or getting rid of
negative or undesired behaviors (Cherry,2021).
Some basic assumptions and principles
Some of the key characteristics of Behavior therapy include the fact that it is a
scientific approach which is continually assessing and adjusting as the client
progresses. Behavior therapies deal with a client’s current problems and what
things may be influencing them now in the present. There is not much
consideration for past events, emphasis is placed on the present, on present
behaviors and how they can be adjusted. Functional assessments are used to
determine what changes a client might make to their environment in help
improve their behavior. Behavior therapies see the importance of both the
individual and their environment and tries to explore how the two interact and
how that interaction can be changed to change behaviors for the better. This
specific therapy requires clients to be their own agents of change and to
actively work at preforming specific actions which will help them work towards
improving their problems. These therapies require action, investment and
work at educating individuals. Education is often said to lie at the core of
these therapies. It is believed that behavior therapies increase one’s
understanding of themselves and the problem at hand. It is believed that
knowing yourself and what is causing the problem in the present can motivate
change. Behavior therapies aids in teaching how to change. This is achieved
through both assessment and self-monitoring. Possibly one of the most
important parts of behavior therapies is in that they are very specifically
tailored for each individual (Corey, 2017).
Approaches
The four main tenets of behavior therapy include Classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, the social learning approach and Cognitive behavioral
therapy. Behavior therapy can be seen as an umbrella term for a number of
, PYC4809 Assignment 2
Student No 4646-325-9 Unique No 733726
different therapeutic techniques which work on the behavior of the individual
in a number of different ways.
Classical conditioning
This refers to the pairing of a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that evokes a
response or reaction. The two are presented at the same time over a period of
time until the presentation of just the neutral stimulus evokes the desired
response (Cherry,2021).
The most famous experiment done with this type of conditioning is Pavlov’s
Dogs where every time food was presented and the dogs began to salivate a
bell was rung. This pairing was presented enough time that eventually just the
ringing of the bell would cause the dogs to salivate. It was also noted that
should the pairing not be consistently repeated and the bell rung too often on
its own the response will begin to diminish and will eventually no longer occur
(Corey, 2017).
Classical conditioning places large emphasis on learning from ones
environment, it is still widely used and can be very effective in changing some
behaviors. Classical conditioning is often used at school and in the classroom
so as to encourage a positive set of emotional experiences relating to school
and learning. Having a negative set of experiences can effect one’s academic
career (McLeod, 2018).
Aversion therapy, flooding and systematic desensitization are all different
forms of classical conditioning that are still in practice today (Cherry,2021).
Operant conditioning
This refers to a kind of learning whereby behaviors are mostly influenced by
the outcomes or consequences of one’s actions. Positive outcomes or
consequences reinforce behaviors while negative outcomes or consequences
diminish or eliminate them. If there is no consequence or outcome it is also
less likely that a behavior will be repeated. This is referred to as positive and
negative reinforcement (Corey, 2017).
There are many different approaches that actively use operant conditioning,
some of these include;
Contingency management, where a written contract between two parties is
drawn up, it defines the goals or necessary behavior changes as well as any
penalties should one party not uphold their end of the agreement; Extinction
which involves the cessation of rewards for a behavior which over time leads
to the undesired behavior no longer occurring, and behavior modeling which
involves watching others and repeating the same behaviors or modeling what
they do. There are others such as token economies (Cherry,2021).
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