ABSTRACT
With respect to the treatment of the individual who repeatedly displays antisocial behavior, several programs claim to have achieved behavioral change by using the dynamics of the interpersonal relationship and group interaction occurring within the institutional setting. In considering whether or not to use punishment or reinforcement the main consideration should be the effect each has on the behavior being modified. Programs which indiscriminately reinforce or punish behavior do little to prepare the individual to meet the exigencies of the social environment and its contingencies outside the institution. Unlike objective behaviors selected for reinforcement, specific behaviors to be punished are not defined in terms of specific, identifiable change in the physical environment that occurs within a specifically designated time or place. The over-all objective of the Intensive Training Program is to develop effective techniques for teaching the antisocial retardate a repertoire of socially acceptable behavior which will enable him to survive outside of an institutional environment.
