ABSTRACT
Behavior therapy is a technique designed to treat directly observable undesirable behavior, what psychodynamic therapy calls ”symptoms.” Behavior therapy rejects the notion that problematic behavior is a symptom of underlying conflicts maintained by unconscious dynamic processes. Rather, behaviorists view aberrant behavior as a learned phenomenon, which is maintained by environmental and situational determinants. Their model of treatment is to first assess behavior, and then to alter it through procedures that modify old behavior or that teach new behaviors (e.g., conditioning techniques, systematic desensitization, modeling, etc.). Desired changes are defined and demonstrated empirically, and are evaluated throughout treatment.
