What Is Behavior Modification?

Behavior modification is a treatment used in the mental health-care field to deal with certain types of antisocial actions. As with many such treatments, controversy surrounds the worth and effectiveness of certain types of techniques to achieve changes in human activity.

Technically Speaking

According to Dr. William G. Huitt, in a paper for Valdosta State University's Educational Psychology Interactive, behavior modification seeks to change human conduct from negative expressions to more positive, healthy forms of activity.

B. F. Skinner

B.F. Skinner laid the groundwork for behavior modification therapy with his theories of "operant conditioning" and "reinforcing stimulus," according to Dr. C. George Boeree, a psychology professor at Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania. These theories assume that organisms "operate" within their respective environments in ways shaped and reinforced by certain stimulating factors.

Child Development

Most often, behavior modification therapy focuses on children, according to Huitt. Its purpose is either to dissuade a child from negative types of behavior or to promote the continued development of positive ones.

Misconceptions

Huitt posits that one function of behavior modification is simply the maintenance and enhancement of already established positive forms of behavior. Along this line, a popular misconception would be of behavior modification as an effort to correct only antisocial or deviant forms of behavior.

Fear Reduction

Arguably, the most popular expression of behavior modification would be what Huitt calls "fear reduction." This is an attempt to instill in a person that may overreact to certain hazards, a more reasonable or logical response to those same fear-inducing situations.