| By Tim Robertson
|
| © 2001, 2007
|
| Cognitive based treatment in psychology is the use of an individual's thoughts and perceptions to modify various behavior disorders. Two main therapies of cognitive based behavior modification are covert conditioning and covert positive reinforcement. |
| Covert conditioning uses mental images to practice target behaviors and behavior modification. For example, if a client has been a smoker for several years and wanted to quit, then he may find this treatment useful. The client would imagine repeatedly smoking cigarettes until becoming nauseous. They also might visualize a more drastic consequence of developing cancer from years of prolonged cigarette usage. |
| The preceding behavior modification example is covert sensitization. The client repeatedly imagines engaging in an undesirable behavior. When the image is vivid enough they associate an adverse consequence with the undesirable behavior. Smoking is the undesirable behavior and cancer is the adverse consequence. |
| One advantage of covert sensitization is that the behavior modification treatment is harmless. There is no immediate threat or danger to the client receiving treatment because the threatening situation is not real. All the undesirable behaviors and consequences are only imagined. |
| Covert positive reinforcement is another behavior modification method used in treating psychological disorders. Cognitive reinforcement is a similar behavior modification program where clients imagine their target behavior, or a behavior they are seeking to continue, being reinforced through mental images. For example, a weight loss modification client would imagine being positively reinforced every time they did not eat a certain high calorie food such as a candy bar. |
| The results of covert conditioning and covert positive reinforcement are often successful and some times carry over to real behavior modification. One potential problem with these behavior modification methods is the potential trauma inducing effects of a real life behavioral situation. For example, after a client has undergone covert behavior modification treatment they may feel that they are ready to place themselves in a similar real life behavioral situation as the imagined therapy. |
| This could potentially harm or traumatize the client if they do not have a proper support care structure. To ensure against injury, the client should gradually take "baby steps" toward actual behavior. For example, if a client has undergone covert behavior modification treatment for an extreme fear of heights, they would not want to immediately prove that they had been cured by climbing Mount Everest. |
| It is important to realize that covert behavior modification success is gradual, and indeed may never be appropriate therapy for all behavior modification. However, when used to treat minor psychological disturbances, covert sensitization and covert positive reinforcement are often highly effective. |
| http://www.trobweb.com |