ABSTRACT
Different helping professions have developed to assist individuals in adapting to an ever-changing world. The APA’s Ethical Guidelines address the qualifications of the helping professional; definition of problem and selection of goals; selection of treatment method; need for record keeping and ongoing evaluation; and need for confidentiality and accountability. The objectives for any helping profession are to diagnose what is maintaining a problem and prescribe effective help. Whether a problem is based on medical (biological) or psychological (experiential) mechanisms, it can be framed as requiring help in addressing idiosyncratic adaptive challenges.
308In a helping profession, the presenting problem usually serves as the initial target for assessment and intervention. Before beginning, it is prudent to assess the individual’s receptivity to change and readiness to receive help. Maladaptive behavior may be categorized as behavioral excesses and deficits, inappropriate external and internal stimulus control, and inappropriate reinforcement. The objective of adaptive learning assessment is to gather detailed information about the circumstances under which maladaptive behavior occurs. The ABCs (antecedents, behaviors, consequences) should be assessed, including both external, and internal (i.e., thoughts and feelings), antecedents and consequences.
Behavior modification interventions consist of direct and indirect prompting and shaping procedures. Indirect, self-control procedures based on observational learning and language, are the least invasive forms of help, and to be preferred where applicable. Major benefits of self-control strategies include the development of self-efficacy and continued applicability beyond intervention. Guidelines and examples of self-instructional training including physical, imitative, and verbal prompting were provided. In instances where indirect procedures are not applicable or are ineffective, direct procedures using appetitive consequences are the least invasive options. In extreme cases, direct procedures using appetitive and aversive consequences may be necessary to enable transition to indirect procedures.
The adaptive learning model was applied to health psychology, DSM disorders, and self-actualization. Eating was described as a complex behavioral chain including shopping for, storing, preparing, and eating food. It was shown how adaptive learning principles could assist individuals in negotiating the links, resisting temptation, and committing to a prudent lifestyle.
Where one is born is arbitrary, but all humans are genetically prepared to adapt to and alter their circumstances. We have the potential to use our abilities to imagine, communicate, manipulate tools, and collaborate to sustain and improve the human condition for all.
