ABSTRACT
Although the behavioral therapies have attained popularity only in the last ten to fifteen years, there were early attempts at the use of such procedures during the 1920s. J. B. Watson, the early champion of Behaviorism, reported the famous case of "Little Albert", in which a nine-month old boy developed a conditioned fear of animals. The response to the early experiments in the modification of behavior was limited, even though there were isolated reports of application of comparable procedures and principles. In systematic desensitization, therefore, the client is gradually led by means of relaxation to imagine scenes or stimuli of increasing intensity until those that are most anxiety-provoking can be visualized and later experienced without anxiety. Aversion therapy consists of presenting to the individual some stimulus which will produce a strong avoidance response, and this must be done in the context of the undesired response.
