Cognitive Behaviour Modification Approach
Cognitive Behavior Modification approach was propounded by Donald Meichenbaum. This approach aims at altering self-talk and life narrative to promote positive behavior.
A traditional example is of Amande who is a girl who was tormented with quilt and shame over being a victim of several years rape in her early teens. She again and again tells herself that she is unworthy and dirty. Due to this belief, all her relationships are abusive in nature and she tends to stay in them on the belief that she deserves nothing better. She did not respect herself, so the men whom she dated too did not respect her. Following the Cognitive Behavior therapy, her counselor assisted her in changing her belief about herself and turning herself into a positive person. This approach transformed her.
So, the Cognitive Behaviors Modification (CBM) is an approach to cognitive- behavioral therapy that focuses on changing negative self-talk and life narrative to a positive self-talk. The basic idea behind this approach is that negative self-talk can reflect in a person's behavior. In simpler terms, bad thoughts lead to bad actions, which in turn lead to bad outcomes. The goal of Cognitive Behavior Modification is to change a person's self-talk life narration from negative to positive.
Techniques of Cognitive Behavior Modification:
There are basically three main techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Modification.
1. Self- Instructional Technique
2. Stress Innoculation Technique
3. Self-Management Technique
Self-Instructional Technique:
We engage in self-talk, and the nature of self-talk affects our behavior. Faulty and irrational self-talk results in anxiety, fear, stress and other emotional problem. In self-instructional training, the client is taught to keep track of self-statements which are negative or destructive. He is then given homework assignments and practice to substitute such negative self-talk with a positive one.
In this process, there are four stages:
(a) First, the client is made aware of the negative self-talk going on within him.
(b) Second, the client is made to realize how his negative self-talk is leading to his fear, anxiety and other emotional problems.
(c) Third, the client himself identifies the positive self-talk he needs to do in place of negative self-talk.
(d) Fourth, the client is given training to make the positive self-talk a part of his personality through regular practice.
This self-motivational technique is thus very helpful in transformation of the client suffering from negative self-talk.
Stress Inoculation Technique (SIT)
Stress Inoculation Technique is meant to prepare the individual in advance to handle stressful events successfully. Just as vaccination inoculates an individual against the diseases, stress inoculation also helps to inoculate the person against the stress he may be facing or may face in future. In this technique, patients are educated about stressful situations and the general nature of stress, and the steps that may be taken to avoid stress in future. In SIT, the clients become more aware of what things are cues for fear and anxiety. They learn how to detect and identify such cues as early as they appear so that necessary coping skills can be put in immediate action. In this process, a patient learns to tackle anxiety and stress at the earliest possible so that the further damage can be controlled.
Self Management Techniques:
In this technique, an individual is encouraged to use his own behavioral skills to maintain self-motivation and achieve personal goals. For example, if a person smokes too much, does not exercise or has difficulty in controlling his anger, the goal of this technique to make him control or manage his actions.
It has been observed that behavioral deficiencies occur when a person does not engage in a positive and desirable behavior frequently enough. The client is taught in this technique to identify, monitor and bring changes in his behavioral deficits or behavioral excesses so that it results in desired behavioral modifications.
Three strategies can be used in Self Management Technique:
(i) Environmental Strategies
(ii) Behavioral Strategies
(iii) Cognitive Strategies
(i) Environmental Strategies: This strategy involves changing the place, groups or time or situations where one experiences problematic behavior, for example, if a person behaves in an erratic manner when socializing with a particular social group or people, he should avoid being in that group or with such people so as to change his environment.
(ii) Behavioral strategies: One important strategy is modify problematic behaviour is to use reinforcers for good or desirable behaviour. Some examples are: (a) Placing visual clues or reminders about what a person wants to achieve, (b) Developing reinforcers or rewards for engaging in desirable behaviour and punishment for undesirable behaviour, (c) Engaging in an alternative or positive behaviour when you are inclined to engage in an undesirable behaviour, (d) Finding creating ways to make desirable behaviour more enjoyable, rewarding and convenient.
(iii) Cognitive Strategies: These strategies involve charging one's thought or beliefs about one’s own behavior, for example, using self instructions to encourage oneself about what to do and how to do it, using self-praise to commend oneself for engaging in a desirable behaviour, and thinking about the benefits of reaching one's goal.
