Research Korner: Behavior Essay Samples

Psychology

Relative Contribution of Classical and Operant Conditioning to Problem Gambling                       Problem Gambling             Problem gambling is also called compulsive gambling, addictive gambling or pathological gambling. This refers to the lack of ability of a person to resists the impulses to gamble resulting to serious personal and social consequences. Pathological gambling affects around 1 to 2 percent of adults in general and 4 percent of adults residing in close proximity, within 50 miles, to gambling venues or casinos. Gambling commonly develops during early adolescence in the case of men and between the ages of 20 to 40 in the case women. Compulsive gambling constitutes a brain disease akin to disorders such as drug addiction and alcoholism. All these disorders relate to problems in the pleasure center part of the brain, also called dopamine reward pathway, associated with eating and sexual behaviors. People developing addictive gambling usually start as occasional gamblers until such time that gambling becomes a habit. Stress and stressful situations worsen gambling problems. (1994)               People with compulsive gambling usually have feelings of shame and keep their condition from other people. However, according to the  (2004), pathological gambling is expressed through five or more of these symptoms: 1) preoccupation with gambling, 2) tendency to gamble bigger amounts of money to feel excitement, 3) unsuccessful attempts to minimize or withdraw from gambling, 4) irritability or restlessness during the attempts to minimize or quit gambling, 5) gambling as a means of escaping problems, sadness or anxiety, 6) chasing losses, 7) lying or denying the period or amount spent on gambling, 8) turning to crimes to obtain gambling money, 9) loss of significant relationships, educational and career opportunities, and employment due to gambling, and 10) borrowing money to survive due to gambling losses.   Contribution of Classical & Operant Conditioning to Problem Gambling             There are several theories explaining problem gambling. It is through these explanations that solutions to the disorder can be derived. Classical and operant conditioning comprise two theories contributing to the explanation and clarification of pathological gambling disorder. There are similarities and differences to these theories resulting to different implications to pathological gambling.             Classical conditioning comprises a type of learning discovered by Ivan Pavlov while testing the behavior of dogs. Initially, the test involved the feeding of meat powder to dogs to measure their digestive patterns. However, Pavlov observed a change in the behavior of the dogs towards the expectation of being fed the meat powder by the person bringing the food. Thus, as the person enters the door, dogs tend to elicit expectant behavior by associating the person with being fed the meat powder. In humans, this implies that people develop responses to specific stimuli, which are not occurring naturally. People react based on their learning about certain circumstances. A person touching a hot stove naturally acts on the instinct to move the hand away from the stove. However, even when the stove is not hot people have the tendency to keep their hands away from the stove until it is discovered that the stove is not actually hot. Classical conditioning propounds that people make learning associations resulting to generalizations in responses to stimuli such as associating a hot burner with pain resulting to the action of drawing hands away from the stove. (1987)              In application to gambling, people bet or spend money on casino games with the hope of winning. Once a person spent money and won, associations are made between the act of spending money and winning ( 2003). There is also the added association that betting more money more in more games would increase the chances of winning. Gambling is an odds game so that people involved in gambling weight the odds of winning and the money or time spent in gambling activities. The higher the odds of winning, the greater motivation people have of actually betting or spending their money on casino games. The more times that people win, the more that people are encouraged to play (2001) so that people usually bet their winnings in order to gain more money.             Based on classical conditioning, people winning from gambling activities associate betting more money and spending more time in the casino with the higher odds of winning. This behavior when it reaches the point of qualifying under five or more of the symptoms provided by the American Psychiatric Association becomes a pathological disorder. People become excessively drawn to the association that they tend to act on impulse on every opportunity to gamble.             This implies that addressing pathological gambling involves an intervention in the associations made by people between the frequent and extensive betting or spending with the higher odds of winning. If pathological gambling were considered as learning or associative disorder, then breaking the association would result to the severance of the expectation of higher odds of learning. In practice, people with compulsive gambling disorder could be exposed to the consideration of odds in gambling to show that betting only results to a slim chance of winning making it a waste of time and money. Other more radical association disruptions could also be applied in order to address more serious forms of gambling problems.             Operant conditioning comprises another type of learning. This learning theory developed from the study of a cat’s behavior. The cat was placed in a box with a single point of egress. However, a certain portion of the box should be pressed to open the door. The cat has the initial instinct to get out of the box with freedom as its reinforcement. Eventually, the cat activates the part that opens the door and get out allowing the cat to regain its freedom. When the cat is placed in the box again, it tries to reenact what it did in order to escape the first time by locating the part of the box that operates the door. The cat learned how to free itself from the box through natural boxes the means of achieving the reinforcing freedom. (1987)    This learning method pertains to the manner that organisms operate in the environment so that operant conditioning occurs in the manner that people respond to the factors presented to people in a given situation or environment. This can be considered as learning based on natural consequences of human actions. In human experience, learning through operant conditioning happens in situations where people commit mistakes resulting to unwanted consequences. The unwanted consequences constitute a negative reinforcement that would motivate people not to commit the same mistakes in the future when faced with the same or similar circumstances. Operant conditioning also occurs in instances where people achieve the things they want by doing certain actions. The affirmative result of their actions constitutes a positive reinforcement that would involve the commission of the same actions given the same or similar circumstances. ( 1987)      Based on the principles of operant conditioning, gambling involves the act of betting and spending money resulting to both losses and winnings. People then determine the actions they did in the circumstances that resulted to their winnings and the actions committed resulting to losses. People would then try to reenact the actions in their succeeding bets or expenditure with the expectation of winning while preventing the duplication of actions resulting to losses. The continues and frequent process of enacting and reenacting the actions resulting to winnings eventually leads to pathological gambling with people becoming overly involved in the process with the expectation of winning (1999;   2001; 2002). Since pathological gambling results from learning based on the reinforcement of positive consequences of actions, this also serves as the area for addressing the disorder. It is only when people exhaust the reenactment of the actions linked to winning but resulting to incessant losses that they unlearn the expectations on reinforcements. Conditional and operant conditioning involve the similarities in terms of the learning stages of starting with acquisition followed by extinction and then by spontaneous recovery and then by stimulus generalizations (1987). This means that both conditional and operant conditioning both recognize that people derive learning through generalizations made from their experiences. However, these theories also involve differences. One difference is the reliance of classical conditioning to stimuli and response associations while operant conditioning has as its core feature reinforcement. Another difference is that classical conditioning centers on involuntary reflexive behavior while operant conditioning focuses on voluntary behavior. The differences imply that problem gambling can be understood as a reflexive condition or a conscious behavior. Conclusion             Pathological gambling is a disorder with serious consequences to the personal and social life of individuals with this condition. In order to determine solutions to problem gambling, the various aspects of the disorder should first be understood. Classical and operant conditioning are theories that provide an explanation of pathological gambling by considering the disorder as a progressive disorder influenced by the learning process of individuals expressed through reflexive behavior as proposed by classical conditioning or voluntary behavior as propounded by operant conditioning. Apart from providing an explanation of pathological disorder, these also imply that intervention in the learning process comprise a solution to the disorder.

Psychology

Relative Contribution of Classical and Operant Conditioning to Problem Gambling ...

What factors predict violent criminal behavior?

1. Identify what you believe is the strongest predictor of violent criminal behavior. Your response should include a reasonably thorough examination of the literature available from either text. In addition, your response should be supported with information. Be sure also to explain why you feel other factors commonly associated with crime causation do not adequately explain violent criminal behavior.               The strongest predictor of violent criminal behavior is quality of parenting (Cassel & Bernstein, 2007). Social factors influence behavior more strongly than biological or economic factors. Most violent crime such as rape and murder may have a relationship with economic problems but the underlying reason for the development of violent behavior is not necessarily economic. Poverty problems catalyze criminal behavior but this does not necessarily predict it more than social factors. Biological traits could also influence criminal behavior but not as strongly as social factors. (Hawkins et al., 2000)             Among the social factors, including familial and peer relations, the strongest predictor is also quality of parenting. Peer relations and social environment in the neighborhood could influence violent criminal behavior by modeling acceptable behavior to individuals (Cassel & Bernstein, 2007). However, these social factors do not predict violent criminal behavior as strongly as parenting style because of the lesser degree or proximity of influence of peers and the wider social community on violent criminal behavior.             Quality of parenting is the strongest predictor of violent criminal behavior for a number of reasons. First, parents exercise the strongest influence on the behavior of individuals at an early age. Value and norms of conduct exhibited during adolescence and adulthood are largely a result of parenting styles. Second, the influence of parents is the proximate social factor affecting individual behavior. During the growing-up years, children consider parents as the primary authority and model for behavior. It is only when they go to school and become adults that other social factors influence behavior. Nevertheless, the foundation of behavior is due to the influence of parents. Third, the quality of nurture and upbringing determines the propensity of individuals to commit violent criminal behavior. Various forms of victimization of children by their parents such as harsh discipline, parental rejection, absenteeism, neglect, exposure to domestic violence and other violent behavior, and commission of crimes such as rape and assault strongly influence criminal violent behavior. Victims of violence during childhood by their parents have a tendency to exhibit the same behavior in adolescence of adulthood. Children mimic the behavior of their parents, even violent behavior. (Hawkins et al., 2000; Cassel & Bernstein, 2007)             Many of the recognized strategies for crime prevention focus on early childhood development and the role of parents. Effective violent crime prevention strategies involves the active role of parents in providing quality parenting through information dissemination and awareness as well as socio-economic support to ensure parental presence in the home.             2. Domestic violence cases are some of the most complex of violent crimes investigated by law enforcement officials. Briefly discuss the social and psychological characteristics of both the offender and victim of a domestic assault. Then address the differences in the perception of the event by both parties. Finally, explain the reasoning behind the relatively new approach to investigating domestic assault and how it differs from the law enforcement response of the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.               In the case of offenders, the characteristics are heterogeneous although most offenders are middle-aged Caucasian males belonging to low-income families. However, there are social and psychological characteristics that could aid in understanding the offenders in domestic assault. First is antisocial behavior exhibited in dependence on alcohol and drugs, difficulty in expressing empathy, and endorsement of macho behavior. Second is narcissism, which finds expression in the non-direct endorsement of macho attitudes. However, narcissists have the tendency to respond positively to macho attitudes to indicate tacit agreement with macho culture. Narcissists also express a dismissive form of attachment. Third is low pathology or exhibition of moderate narcissistic behavior and dismissive attachment. These do not express anger or engage in suicidal behavior and despite having experienced abuse during childhood have not reported the incident. Fourth are emotional dependents who exhibit high degrees of dependence in relationships, fearful attachment, strongly express anger, experience depression or anxiety, fast to blame others, experienced physical and sexual violence during childhood, and suicidal tendencies. (Gilchrist et al., 2003)             With regard to the victims of domestic assault, the characteristics are also heterogeneous but most victims of domestic violence are females, under 40 years of age, and belong to low income classes. The salient psychological profile of victims is dependent attachment since victims are likely to be unemployed. Depression and anxiety are also likely characteristics of victims of domestic assault since a number of victims are alcohol dependents with previous experience of violence. (Gilchrist et al., 2003)             The profile of offenders and victims supports differences in the perception of domestic assault. On one hand, offenders usually blame the victim for the incident or blame alcohol and drugs as the reason that made them commit violence. Other offenders exhibiting narcissistic behavior would dismiss the incident as a common occurrence and within acceptable norms. On the other hand, many victims accept blame for the incident and bear it because of their dependent attachments. If hospital or police personnel question victims, the immediate response would be to justify the incident with excuses such as accident. These perspectives make it difficult to investigate domestic violence.             Improvements in the investigation of domestic assault occurred in the last decade in an effort to address the complexity of this crime. Previously, the approach to investigation was ‘one-size-fits all’, which means common assumptions for domestic assault without considering the particular context of the victims and offenders. This led to a dismissive perception of the justice system worsening the situation for many victims. The new approach to investigation is collaborative and customized with many law enforcement agencies establishing desks or teams handing domestic assault investigations and working together with support groups and other advocate groups to provide the best help for victims or the appropriate intervention. (Felson, Ackerman & Gallagher, 2005)       References   Cassel, E., & Bernstein, D. A. (2007). Criminal behavior. London: Routledge.   Gilchrist, E., Johnson, R., Takriti, R., Weston, S., Beech, A., & Kebbell, M. (2003). Domestic violence offenders: Characteristics and offending related needs. London: Home Office.   Felson, R. B., Ackerman, J. M., & Gallagher, C. (2005). Police intervention and the repeat of domestic assault. Final Report Police Intervention and the Repeat of Domestic Assault Award #2002-WG-BX-0002. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/210301.pdf   Hawkins, J. D., Herrenkohl, T. I., & Farrington, D. P., Brewer, D., Catalano, R. F., Harachi, T. W., & Cothern, L. (2000). Predictors of youth violence. Juvenile Justice Bulletin April 2000. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/179065.pdf

What factors predict violent criminal behavior?

1. Identify what you believe is the strongest predictor of violent criminal behavior. Your response should include a reasonably thorough e...

Paul's Case Story

Paul’s Case Study   People especially teenagers are caught in the middle of different things. Many of these young adults may have a tendency to feel that no one really cares about their thoughts, opinions and feelings. Essentially, teenagers are experiencing many complexities in their teenage lives. These complexities sometimes become the reason why teenagers are able to do things intensely without even thinking of the output of their behavior. When a person is out of control and drowned in too many problems, challenged and dilemmas, the tendency is to find the easiest way to leave these problems behind and one of these ways is through suicide. The portrait of Paul that emerges from pages is that of a young man torn by conflicts, ill-adapted to his environment and its people, but desperately practicing an imposture that allows him to survive. In his various spheres of activity, Paul is more an observer than a participant, aggressively working to deceive both himself and the world regarding his lack of integration. His sole pleasures are rooted in his "artistic" endeavors, but even these are counterfeit, for he lacks the depth to comprehend his experiences on anything but a superficial level and contents himself with form rather than substanceThe case study is about a young boy who has isolated himself from his environment. In the story, Paul has learned to leave alone and do inappropriate things as his defense in his environment. It can be seen in the beginning of the story how Paul’s teacher dislikes him. They thought Paul as a boy who is temperamental, troublemaker and someone who cannot be trusted. With the behaviour of the teachers towards Paul vice versa, more problems occurred.  Paul is not only experiencing problems at school but also inside their house. Thee are instances that his father do not gave him the money he needs for going to his classmates house to study geometry. It seems that the story described Paul as a boy with so much depression, misery and sadness. Some young people can feel so bad about what is happening inside them, like what has happened to Paul.  Paul is in pain and feels so alone with his fantasies, hatred, envy, and consequent anxiety that he consciously or unconsciously find a way of ending their lives. In the time that one has known this, for instance, Paul’s parents or teachers, this individual may show many signs some very small of their self-destructive wishes.  The difficulty can be noticing these messages, thinking about them, and acting appropriately. What is seen in the case study is a collapse of the earlier ways of meeting various situations of Paul’s stress. Herein Paul aced with the fact that he is alone, and that his development is out of normal compared to his peers in terms of social context. An additional disappointment for him is that his parents' approval or reassurance is no longer as effective as it was when he was a child. Now, he seeks approval and recognition from his contemporaries -- but in order to get this, he has to perform or behave in a way that is acceptable to them (Paul’s teachers. Their standards may be different from those of his parents. Paul's intensity of contempt, reserved for those who inhabit the mundane world of reality, signals a pathological defensiveness; his alienation from and rejection of the universe that defines his true identity may be interpreted as a classic psychological defense mechanism, that of projection. As he repudiates the undistinguished middle class he belongs to, Paul vilifies his own ordinariness, an intolerable condition that must be altered through redefinition of reality. Thus, this perceptual reframing requires an all-encompassing denial of his connection to his first world and a subsequent displacement of his self-hatred onto those living out their lives in that niche into which he was accidentally born. In the story, it shows also that Paul do not have companions and friends whom he could share his sadness or even happiness. He has been able to live for himself and by himself. Paul has done things, even bad things to get attention from his peers, teachers and even his parents but no one was able to understand the real meaning of his actions. They judge Paul as a boy who lacks attention but never realized that the people whom should provide his needed attention are the ones who is rejecting and neglecting him. If one views "Paul's Case" as a kind of psychological autopsy, Paul's ultimate fate can be traced to the lack of genuine interaction between himself and his worlds. Although it is true that he maintains a formidable shield, this defense is a self-protective mechanism that is perpetuated by a lack of knowledge of alternative methods of survival. That no one breaks through Paul's armor plate is testimony not only to the effectiveness of that barrier, but also to the dehumanizing tendencies of authority, institutions, and social groups. As a teenager, Paul has been misunderstood by the people whom he think should be the one helping or understands him, like the teachers and his parents. And being a teenager, Paul felt that he doesn’t have the right to control over his life as he like. Because of this, Paul thought that killing himself is the best way to show the people that he can control his own live even in death.

Paul's Case Story

Paul’s Case Study People especially teenagers are caught in the middle of different things. Many of these young adults may have ...

The problem of teen pregnancy

Table of Contents Introduction. 3 Assessment on the Issues. 4 Action Plan. 10 Legal and Ethical Issues. 12 Behavioural, Cognitive, and Affective Responses. 12 Wider Systems of Support. 13 Conclusion. 13 References. 14 Introduction The problem of teen pregnancy constitutes an amalgamation of many other issues that require therapeutic interventions coming from both family systems and psychodynamic systems. The treatment requires the implementation of both individual and systemic therapies. Individual therapies seek to acquire an accurate diagnosis of the issue. It also offers to establish mode of therapy immediately seeking to find the causes, the purposes and the processes required to treat the patient. Its main concern is primarily with the individual experience and perspective of the person. In doing so, the process tends to intervene and sought to assist the individual to gain knowledge and to manage the situation. On the other hand, the use of systemic therapies tends to survey the system involving the dynamics of the family in relation to the problem. This is done by looking into the processes and rules involved in the dynamics of the family. With regards to the therapy, the family members are invited to take part of the therapy. The assumption in systemic therapies is that family relationships are the reason why a particular problem materialised on the part of the individual. The rules involving the Transgeneratioanl relationships as well as the rules within the family form part of the change context in the family system. This is needed on the case of , a 19 year-old pregnant female who sees the pregnancy as a mistake wholly acquired by her. This is compounded by the fact that she feels that her family is antagonistic towards her because of her condition. This paper will be taking into consideration the treatment available for  as she goes through her pregnancy. The individual and systemic therapies shall be used jointly to determine the proper course of action on the part of the pregnant female and how it can strike a balance on her life.   Assessment on the Issues The following part of the paper shall provide a discussion on the issues on which  possess. In order to address the said issues, an analysis shall be provided with reference to the theoretical foundations on which such issues arise. In this regard, the specific issues shall be analysed using the principles of individual and systemic therapies. Too young to be tied down with a baby In this issue,  apparently has some problem with regards to her mental state, particularly with her role as an individual. Based on the psychodynamic therapeutic theories, specifically as provided by ,  is currently in the genital stage. In this stage, ego identity and role confusion is determined. This means that  concept of reality, based on past experiences, is just forming in this stage. The problem in this regard is that with the perception of  on her environment determine whether or not she will eventually possess a perspective that is not skewed. To some extent, it appears that having a baby as seen in the declaration of Jasmine is considered a detriment to her actual existence. She treats her pregnancy as a burden. These perspectives may be well founded as they are based on reality and neurotic anxiety. Having a child in the age of 19 is considered a burden as a young person may not be able to provide for the needs of the unborn child. This is the neurotic anxiety which attacks  as her ego and id impulses battle it out to establish reason on the part of . In this contest, Jasmine’s ego apparently is victorious. On the other hand, it appears that the family of  may have been attributable to the issue at hand. The issue will be best understood with the examination of the interactions involving the family members of . With the teenage pregnancy at hand, it appears that the family of  has some dysfunction that has yet to be established. The resultant problematic behaviour also manifests a problem with reference to the family. Though it poses a problem for the actual family, it does show some purpose. For instance, it appears that the rules established in the family as well as the norms that they follow are symptomatic of the patterns which were handed down from their relatives by affinity. It shows that the family of Jasmine has failed to operate in a productive manner with reference to the formation of  as a well rounded individual.   To this end, the existing conditions of the family will provide the information whether or not there are symptoms present in the dynamics of the family. It should be emphasised that a change in the systems will, to some extent, change the individuals as well. Looking at the facts of the case, it appears that the family of Jasmine is dysfunctional to say the very least. It shows that the family members are not given the chance to be an individual. Individual freedom is curtailed by the norms, principles and event he religion of the family. These rigid patterns provide for the symptoms that the family possess. This shows that the communications of the family is considerably closed which prompted to act rebelliously. Such expressed acts indicated in the case are the promiscuity of  which eventually led to the pregnancy of the same.   Feeling that she is the 'black sheep' of the family: Made every attempt to break the rules wherever possible Regardless of the fact that  has acquired the age of majority, the facts of the case implies that she is still under the parental authority of the family. In the same regard, the facts of the case indicate that the circumstances surrounding  points to the sequence of rule breaking with reference to the norms of the family. To some extent, this mirrors as  way of coping with her own issues. This is a means of her ego to keep her conflicts to a minimum such that the discomfort that arises from such conflicts is similarly kept at a minimum. This is her defence mechanism. The suppression of the inherent issues that she possesses manifests the main defence mechanism that she employs. In this regard, she suppresses the moral anxiety that normally would result from the breaking of the rules of the conscience. In the case of , the ego has prevailed which in turn creates its own set of standards displacing the existing norms of which  has been subjected. For instance, the existing rules of the society referring to promiscuity are disregarded by the individual. As a result,  engages in sexual encounters and other actions that are contrary to the norms of society. She goes against the flow as this manifest the chance for her to be distinct from everybody else. This is her way of projecting someone who is “cool” regardless on how she blindly follows it. She rejects convention with the notion that this will make her exceptional, consequences be damned. To her rules of convention are mere guidelines. She treats it as a set of suggestions and not directives on which she is compelled to follow. In the family systems perspective, this issue of  is a result of a series of symptoms that are attributable to the family. The attempt to break all rules shows recognition of the goals on the part of  and manifests the dysfunction that the family possess. In the part of , the attempts to break all rules and convention of her family may translate to attention getting. The family may have considerably neglected their daughter to some extent. Simple acts like recognition of good grades or any manifestation of affection may have triggered this kind of behaviour. In the same manner, this may well be a power struggle between the family and . The pre-existing Transgeneratioanl rules may have been too stringent which constricted the freedom of . This is expressed on the facts of the case. The rules may have represented the existing structure of power in the family. This is indicated in the desire of the child to terminate the pregnancy whereas the family’s values and religion strictly adheres to the opposite. Compounded with the attention seeking behaviour of Jasmine, the power struggle between her and the family culminated to the pregnancy of the former. The acts of  may also be driven by the element of revenge over the family. The imposition of strict rules which constricted the freedom of the individual may have been interpreted by  as a form of repression. Lastly, the actions of Jasmine may well be a cry for help for her family. Her inadequacy as an individual is reflected by her actions which is consistent with the actual rules of the family. The consistent patterns of the behaviour manifest the misbehaviours of both the child and the parents.  pregnancy is essentially a peak of all the reactions noted above with reference to the attempts of the family to impose their form of discipline to their child.   Felt unable to ask for safe sex protection from her partner This issue, as indicated in the psychodynamic therapy theories, is driven by several factors. One prevailing factor is the libido of . The inability of the client to ask for sex protection is material to the sexual drive of the both  and her partner. In this regard, the id prevails. There have been accounts where the sexual partners point to the lack of pleasure with the use of rubber guards during intercourse. This may be the same on the part of . Another factor that contributes to this issue is the neurotic anxiety of the client. It appears that  may have been afraid of rejection which underlies the inability to ask for her partner to suit up during intercourse. The client’s sense of reality (ego) is overpowered by id given that she gives in to the pleasure principle. As a result, this anxiety of  prompts her to rationalise her act as a means of defence mechanism. She allows intercourse without eliminating the risk of unwanted pregnancy, which inevitably happened. In the same regard, the need for acceptance that she requires prompted her to engage with the behaviour. Hence, the non-use of any contraceptive may have been her way of compensating for her fear of losing her partner. All in all, the strength of Jasmine’s ego, or the lack of it, may have been the real determinative cause of the problem in her behaviour. In the perspective of the family systems, the misbehaviour of  is a symptom of the inadequacies of the family as a whole. The parents may have not been around that much as per their individual jobs or extracurricular activities in the community. This has driven their child  to find acceptance and appreciation somewhere else. And she found it with engaging in promiscuous activities. As stated in the facts of the case,  has made attempts to break all the rules imposed by the family. As a means of revenge, engaging in premarital sex may have been the height of this intention on the part of . With this in mind, the partner that she has is considered as the one that fills of the void where her parents may have been inadequate. The fear of abandonment would trigger the client’s inability to ask her partner for protection. This basically shows a symptom of the dysfunction of the family of . Apparently, the client has left unsatisfied with the affection given by the family. This may also be caused by the actual lack of manifested affection on the part of the parents. In any case, this void is filled elsewhere by the partner of . In this scenario, affection is shown in the free consent to sexual intimacies. With this in mind, the needs deeply held by Jasmine are eventually fulfilled with these acts. The problem in this case is the inability of  to take the initiative to ask her partner to use rubber guards as a fear of once more losing the sense of fulfilment. On the whole, this issue of  is a combination of her own misbehaviour and the dysfunctions of her family. Moreover, this issue is essentially a symptom of a far greater problem that requires treatment through therapy. Action Plan Admittedly, the problem is both on the self and on the family. However, this report suggests that the action taken should be inclined towards the family therapy. Hence, the systemic family therapy principles are to be used in the treatment of Objective of the treatment The treatment intends to carry out the following objectives ·        Engage the family to determine the mistaken goals as well as the patterns of interaction in the family. ·        Make sure that the parents learn something in the course of this treatment as well as acquire their collaboration in the assessment of their issues. ·        Provide emphasis on the patterns present in the family. ·        Reorient the family. ·        Introduce the concept of social equity in the family dynamics. Treatment Course Allow the members to speak freely in an open forum: In this part of the treatment, there are four major goals to carry out. First, the therapist must interview the parents. In this regard, the therapist must instil in the minds of the parents that they are the leaders of that inviolable social institution. Any dysfunction that it manifests is attributable to them. The second goal is to describe the actual problem. In this part to the open forum, the reservation of the parents with regards to their roles as well as their major concerns in their family is established. Next, the identification of the actual goals of the activity is indicated. In this part of the open forum, the parents are asked what they did about the problem of their child. This presents the way they handled the situation. This leads to the subsequent station, learning of the usual day of the family. It is at this point where the patterns of interaction are established. Interview In this part of the therapy, the focus is the client. To effectively determine the problem, the goals of the client should be revealed. A reflection on the client on herself will be carried out. Question pertaining to her action is also established at this point. After all that, the therapists help  to establish some tentative goals that she could manage. Conclusion At this point, the therapist should make sure that the goals of the process are acquired. He must make sure that the family knows their respective dysfunctions and addressed it in an opportune manner. In the end, the primary goal is to strike harmony within the family of Legal and Ethical Issues The therapist should make sure that he operates within the boundaries of legal and ethical standards. For instance, he should bear in mind that the information that the clients gave him through the sessions should, in no way, be used to unjustly enrich himself. In the same regard, he must also realise that he has a fiduciary duty to the family which requires him to exercise his duty of care in the process. On the other hand, the ethical issues lies in relation to the legal responsibilities of the therapist. He should also refrain from using such information acquired during therapy against the clients. On the whole, the therapist must make sure that he exercises the privilege of the clients and their right to privacy. The findings of the therapy should be kept from public scrutiny and enquiry. Behavioural, Cognitive, and Affective Responses The findings of this therapy shows that the inherent problems of Jasmine is seeking to intensely differentiate herself from her family. The process of differentiation is essentially good as it builds the identity of the individual. However, the case of  is driven by several factors such as revenge, need of attention, and power struggle. This then prompted the process of differentiation of Jasmine into a more perverted outcome. In this case, the unwanted pregnancy is a result of that sequence of behaviours with the ends of differentiation. The client was successful in totally separating herself to the emotional patterns of the family. This is manifested by her intention to terminate the pregnancy despite the passionate disapproval of the parents. This may well be based on their inherent norms or the standards instilled by their religion. It must also be pointed out that the issue is not entirely  fault. The symptoms are there for the family to recognise but they chose to neglect it. It is there in their faces and they chose not to deal with it. This dysfunction of the family is attributable to the inability of the parents to act as leaders of the social institution. In the same way as they are the part of the problem, it entails that they should also be a part of the solution. Taking part of the therapy of is a first step towards balance and harmony in the family.   Wider Systems of Support As indicated in the early assessment of the issues, the problem is both within the client herself and with the family system. The facts provided explicitly show this set of circumstances. However, therapy chosen is within the principles of systemic family theories. To this end, the treatment of the client is ensured given the fact that the support system is included in the healing process. Conclusion In this case, the family is involved in the overall treatment of the client. It manifests the specific roles of the therapist and what requires of him. He must operate within the bounds of law and ethics. To do this he must be unbiased and focus on the reconstruction of the family. In this case, the role of the family is indispensable as much as the therapist. The collaboration of the two ensures congruence and systemic understanding within the client and the family.

The problem of teen pregnancy

Table of Contents Introduction . 3 Assessment on the Issues . 4 Action Plan . 10 Legal and Ethical Issues . 12 Be...

Behaviors that are Not Illegal but may be Characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

Behaviors that are Not Illegal but may be Characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)   It is said that any form of personality disorder is a pervasive psychosomatic disorder that have an effect on an individual’s state of being (2003; 1994;2000). Suffering from personality disorder has negative effects on one’s work, familial relations, and communal life. Behavioral disorders exist on a range. In terms of how occurrence, they can be mild to more severe, to the extent that the individual shows obvious manifestation of a specific personality or behavioral state of confusion. People with identified mild disorders are said to live normal ways of life and yet during the times when their stress or external pressures (including family, relationships, work, etc.) are heightened, the indications of personality or behavioral condition strengthen and initiate grave disturbances on their affecting and reasoning mechanisms. People with personality disorders possess quite a few noticeable psychological features that may include self-image disturbances, ability to successfully gain interpersonal relationships; correctness of the range of emotion, ways in identifying themselves, others and the world; obscurity in having the proper impulse control (1994;2004).  These particular disturbances combine together in creating pervasive configuration of behavior and inner experience which is quite distinctive from the standard of the culture of an individual and which often likely to be distinguished in the behaviors which are apparently dramatic than what is considered by the society normal or usual ( 1994;  2004).  This paper discusses some behaviors or traits that are not illegal but may be considered as one of the characteristics of ASPD.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Controlled range of human feelings </li> </ul> This could be characterized by the person’s inability to empathize or sympathize with the feelings of an individual. More or less, a person in proper state of emotional stability and maturity is mindful of others feelings. Compassion is very evident value among emotionally balanced and matured person. In this case, if a person is not really taking care of the feelings of others, then there must be something wrong with him/her. When a person is experiencing this kind of behavior, there are high tendencies that he/she might be able to violate individual’s rights. However, it is very important to consider that controlled range of human emotions is not illegal as long as it is still within the boundaries of human relationships (e.g. family circle, relatives, friends). Unless acted upon to people beyond legal conditions, it is considered illegal. Then again, the controlled range of human emotions does not exactly mean that a person is showing attributes of ASPD. A person is entitled to choose what emotion he/she wants to show towards others. The only difference in relation to ASPD is that human emotions are constantly negligible (2000). People with ASPD will act upon their personal motivations on whether or not they will show kindness or compassion to a person. This behavior can be evaluated in relation to other repercussions or subsequent behaviors that will lead to the eventual manifestation of ASPD characteristics.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Irritability or aggressiveness</li> </ul> Irritability is an extreme reaction to a stimulus (1999). When a person is irritated, there are varied reasons behind this. More frequent than not, irritation is a result of an action or incident that creates unpleasant reaction to a person’s own perceptions or sensibilities. Sometimes, irritability is a state of mood. It may be physiological and behavioral in nature. On the other hand, aggressiveness is the condition that may result to violence. This may be related to the state of irritation as the one may come before the other or vice versa. Irritability and aggressiveness are not illegal behaviors if taken in terms of the area of application or personal experience. If a person is irritated to something, it is normal, given the fact that such irritation is supported with justifiable reason. This is same as true with the condition of aggressiveness. Irritation may also lead to aggressiveness. The only difference when applied to normal circumstance against ASPD is that irritation and aggressiveness comes from unidentified source. According to  (1995), irritability and aggressiveness as associated to ASPD is indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults. It can be claimed that if unjustifiable condition of irritability and aggressiveness occurs constantly, this could be possibly associated with ASPD ort other personality or psychiatric disorders. Again, it is very important to evaluate the connection of this behavior to other behaviors that characterizes ASPD.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Impulsivity</li> </ul> It is a normal reaction of a person to react in any stimuli that directly or even indirectly penetrate him/her. Thus, it is not illegal that one has to protect him/her self to anything that may harm his/her safety. Impulsivity is rooted to the ability of every individual to think rationally towards his/her own positive benefit. Planning is absent when a person is classified as impulsive. Meanwhile, impulsivity is said to be the most typical and/or core attribute of ASPD. It may come from various forms and definitions. According to various literatures, impulsivity is an instinctive inclination to act with no reflection or logic; dysfunctional and disrupted dealing of information; a high tendency for thrill-seeking or high-risk activities; search for sensation; and failure of sustaining attention or concentration (2000;  2000;2002). For (1995), impulsivity is a “behavioral excess or as engaging actively in goal-seeking or approach behavior even though the path may be a risky one” (p. 160). In this instance, an impulsive individual lacks the ability to plan ahead of time. He/she urgently acts without hesitation, which often leads to aggravating conditions that may include other people if not him/her self alone. Impulsivity is not illegal if used with acceptable line of reasoning. In ASPD applications, impulsivity occurs incessantly and appears to be a normal habit of an individual that leads to severe damage to the person or others. If such condition persist, then, psychiatric and/or legal intervention is necessary.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Sense of entitlement or prerogative</li> </ul> People have their own perception as well as description of their selves. The way we view ourselves is connected with the way we live our lives, acts on everyday dealings, decision making and taking, or psychological and emotional upbringing. In certain situations, people are entitled to identify his/her self to be higher as to compare with others. This is grounded on the idea of social positioning or status quo. This is not illegal as it should be supported with factual evidences and sense of responsibility. Further, every person has his/her identified rights whichever place or circumstance he/she will be. It is his/her common obligation to be responsible in the protection and preservation of the said rights. Thus, a sense of entitlement or prerogative is common to all. But when a person excessively views him/her self against others, to the extent that he/she neglects emotions, norms, and other imposed restrictions, it may be far from the standard idea of self-entitlement. When a person is neglectful of the rights of others and the prescribed policies of the society, they might cause pain, chaos or destruction in the environment they belong. For specific conditions, sense of entitlement or prerogative that leads to absolute neglect to the rights of others and to society’s prescribed laws, social irresponsibility, negligence to obligations, delinquency, and other violations of standards ( 2001) is haphazard and could mean a serious psychosomatic condition. Most ASPD afflicted individuals possess such traits, as it is a primary manifestation (1995). For this behavior or set of behaviors are customary for them, they incessantly do it without any justification at all. If these conditions severely affect surrounding individuals, it is very practical to advise a person to seek psychologically related mechanisms. For grave cases, legal advice is also premeditated.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Use of trickery for personal outfit or deceitfulness </li> </ul> Deception, when seen in any given angle will always be negative and at worst, deception for personal benefits. However, it is not illegal that deception is used for amusement purposes. Poor application as it may be, but there is nothing wrong in deception given the good purpose. But then again, deception as similar to lying will never be justified. When deception leads to criminal behaviors and severity in consequence, then it is classified as an expression of ASPD. According to  (2003), authenticity defines our ability to be true to ourselves. So, when people pretend or deceiving in favor to their personal intentions, it is best to evaluate the moral justification of their actions. Again, the range and frequency of such action is definitive to the condition of ASPD. All in all, it is imperative to evaluate the reasons and motivations of every individual in relation to their actions or behaviors. To quote  (1995), “Because there may be a variety of psychological causes for a given action, classifying people by their actions rather than their psychological dispositions or traits, although perhaps natural for the purposes of the criminal law, is less useful for the purposes of psychiatry or science” ().

Behaviors that are Not Illegal but may be Characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

Behaviors that are Not Illegal but may be Characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) It is said that any form of pe...

DEALING WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR IN CLASS

Introduction The field of developmental psychology traditionally has taken the position that behavior develops in the child through biological maturation, although the field involves little actual study of biological maturation. The field has made many important observations of the developing behavior of the child. Without studying the causes of the behavior development, the conceptions accounting for the many types of child behavior development are generally different and independent ( 1996). The weakest link in the child's cognitive development is that people leave the training of the various aspects of the basic behavioral repertoires in the hands of individual parents who have no special training with respect to what the child needs in his basic behavioral repertoire, or of the principles by which the repertoire is acquired, or indeed of methods to produce the learning. One of the purposes of the behavioral analyses is to produce information yielding training procedures appropriate for utilization by parents. It is suggested that the use of various training materials can be expected to constitute preventive treatment of central problems of child behavior and child development ( 1996).   Moreover, the materials can be used as behavior modification methods by parents whose children have already developed problems of development child behavior problems emphasized the importance of the child's language development, especially that of following instructions, an analysis based on how the child learns the verbal-motor repertoire. It was said the child learned such compliance by virtue of training involving reinforcement principles. It is important to recognize that the field of child behavior therapy and the field of developmental disabilities in behavior analysis have been based, in good part, on extending the basic level of study to analyses of children's behavior problems. With respect to simple behaviors for example, excessive crying, lisping, temper tantrums, refusing to go to sleep at night, acting-out in class, and aggressive or destructive behavior. Experts began its work with children employing the basic principles of conditioning and there are many important studies in the field of behavior therapy that have the same foundation. Methods of study and programs of training have been devised within this framework that is valuable to both practitioner and parent ( 1996).   The behavior of children depends on how they were brought up by their parents and the environment around them. If parents are not educated on how to rear their children and they did not use the appropriate parenting methods the child may end up having an inappropriate behavior. This behavior may be taken as the child goes to school or other places. The behavior of children can also be affected by the environment they belong to. If the child sees that the people around him/her has a habit of swearing he/she might imitate that and swearing will be part of his lifestyle. A child that grew from a refined culture may end up having a high degree of culture that he/she will use as he/she narrates with different kinds of people. The paper will evaluate a child that is presenting challenging behavior within the school context. Behavior management Occupational therapists have long considered personality to be composite of nature and nurture. In this conception nature represents those characteristics, both genetic and congenital, that are innate to the individual. Nurture consists of environmental influences, such as social expectation, opportunity, and mastery experiences, and the social and interpersonal behaviors that the individual uses to respond to the environment. All standardized pediatric tests reveal variations in the rate of skill acquisition ( 2001). Children also vary in the development of interests, habits, talents, and social competence. Therapists previously paid little attention to the range of differences in social and emotional development. Behavior management techniques are common in school and clinical settings. Among the techniques that therapists most often use are time out, performance contracts, self-management and personal responsibility training, and values clarification. Behavior management is based on behavior modification methods and is an effective tool for improving both social and academic behaviors ( 2001).    Behavior management includes the use of external controls and techniques to teach individuals to control their own behavior. The management of behavior is important with all occupational therapy interventions. Inappropriate behavior can limit the child's function and the child's progress on therapy goals. The therapist expects to manage the behavior of a child who is labeled emotionally handicapped, but most children seen for therapy need some degree of external behavior control during the course of therapy ( 2001). Children with disabilities do not always learn basic manners and social behaviors. These physically disabled, or ill, children who have no psychosocial disorders, often develop dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors that exaggerate their disability. Their behaviors often limit social interactions more dramatically than their disability ever would. Rude behaviors gain attention even though they isolate the individual. Children with disabilities need to be respected as individuals with feelings, ideas, and emotional needs. Likewise, children with disabilities need to respect other individuals ( 2001).    Manners are a social tool reflecting respect. The occupational therapist needs to model and expect developmentally appropriate social interactions in the therapy session. The theory and intervention models presented in this chapter provide specific approaches to this type of intervention. Society does not deal well with long-term disability, often allowing the individual who has a disability to break social rules. Society may inadvertently foster over dependency and passivity ( 2001). The behavior of children can be modified to the use of techniques such as behavior management. Behavior management makes sure that a child will act appropriately at a given place. It helps minimizing the unwanted characteristics of a child that prevent him/her to be good member of society. Behavior management also helps the child to subdue his/her behavioral problems. The behavioral problem is one of the causes of a child’s poor performance at school. Aggressive behavior Aggressive behavior at very young ages has been found to be highly predictive of aggressive behavior in adolescence and adulthood. A process by which difficult temperament might be linked with later aggressive behavior disorder could involve the interaction of a child constitutional tendency to be demanding of social responsiveness interacting with parental tendencies to be depressed or otherwise unresponsive to mild initiation attempts by the child, and consequently, coercive process and system-maintaining cognitive and affective biases ( &  1991). Aggressive behavior leads to rejection, but in the long run peer rejection may function as a determinant of who drops out and who stays in the antisocial process. The transformation of the child's initial aggressive behavior into habitual aggressive behavior may depend as much on the responses of the child's environment to the aggression, the continuance of precipitating factors, and the convergence of other causal factors as on the initial exposure to violence ( &  1991).   Parents can provide critical input into both the enactive and observational learning processes. The parents' aggressiveness, punitive ness, and rejection serve both as reinforcements and as models of behavior for children to observe and incorporate into their own behavioral repertoires, especially when children observe the rewards that such behaviors provide. Furthermore, children's cognitive processes may well be influenced by the parents' own cognitive processes. Experiences are ones that enhance the child's repertoire of aggressive tactics, limit the child's repertoire of competent non aggressive tactics, and lead the child to evaluate the outcomes of aggressive behavior in positive ways. A child who has been exposed to high rates of violence on television, in the neighborhood, or among family members, will develop a large repertoire of aggressive responses ( &  1991). When these responses are endorsed either explicitly or implicitly by the environment, the probability is even greater that they will be easily accessible in problematic situations. That is, they will be at the top of the memory storage bin, ready to be called into action. Thus, parents who teach their children to value aggressive heroes and to hit back when pushed around will be likely to have children who develop proactive aggressive behaviors ( &  1991).   It is important to point out that these parents rarely explicitly teach their child to be proactively aggressive; they feel that they are teaching appropriate reactive aggression ( &  1991). One of the challenging behaviors within the school context is when the child has an aggressive behavior. When a child has an aggressive behavior he/she tends to hurt another child by hitting, kicking or biting him/her. Another sign for aggressive behavior is when the child does certain things without much thought. The aggressiveness of a child can be brought about how he/she is raised up by the parents.  It can also be due to the child’s exposure to violence in the environment. The aggressive behavior should be minimized before the child grows up. The aggressive behavior can be minimized by strategies such as behavior modification. Behavior modification Psychologists are not likely to solve the problem of detrimental environmental change, but they can make important contributions to this effort. Inasmuch as many aspects of the problem are the consequences of human behavior, a primary approach to their solution or amelioration must be efforts to modify that behavior. Psychology should be uniquely well positioned to contribute to an understanding of environmentally detrimental behavior and to its modification when that is what is required. Inasmuch as behavior is influenced by knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and desires, efforts to change behavior in ways that would benefit the environment will have to take cognitive and affective variables into account. Beyond the objectives of understanding behavioral causes of environmental change and finding ways to modify environmentally destructive behavior to make it more environmentally beneficial or benign, there are other opportunities for psychological research to contribute to the general goal of managing environmental change ( 2003).   Some of these fall within the mainstream interests of engineering psychologists and human factors specialists because they have to do with equipment design and the interaction of people with machines; they relate not so much to the goal of modifying behavior through persuasion and attitude change, but to that of designing equipment and products that effectively meet users' needs without doing so at the expense of environmental damage. It seems natural to assume that beliefs and attitudes are major determinants of behavior that people tend to behave in ways that are consistent with their beliefs and attitudes. On this assumption, if one is interested in modifying behavior, it makes sense to try to change the beliefs and attitudes from which the behavior is assumed to flow. The position can be argued, and it has been argued, that it is sometimes more cost effective to try to change behavior directly than to do so via a change in attitudes, and that attitude change is likely to follow the change in behavior ( 2003). The fact that changes in attitude sometimes do follow changes in behavior that have been induced by persuasion or coercion has been a focus of experimentation and theorizing among social psychologists and supports the belief that attitudes are as likely to be the consequences of behavior as to cause it. Much of the work in this area has been done by psychologists who use the techniques of applied behavior analysis, or behavioral engineering, to study the possibility of modifying behavior in specific ways by the use of incentives or disincentives and rewards or punishments ( 2003).   There are many ways to attempt to effect changes in the behavior of individuals and corporate entities in addition to that of doing so indirectly through the change of attitudes: legislation and governmental regulations backed up by the threat of civil or criminal sanctions; incentives in the form of tax deductions for the costs of environmental preservation or cleanup activities; disincentives in the form of taxation of pollution-producing activities; public recognition and awards for noteworthy environmental activity; persuasion, as represented by appeals to moral responsibility or altruism; and the dissemination of information designed to make people aware of problems and what can be done about them (Nickerson 2003). Education must be a major component in any approach that has as its aim the influencing of people to behave, intentionally and intelligently, in environmentally beneficial ways. People cannot be concerned about environmental issues if they do not know about them, and they cannot be faulted for behaving in environmentally detrimental ways if they are unaware of the implications of specific forms of behavior ( 2003).   One factor that causes the aggressiveness of a child’s behavior is the culture of the environment. The nation’s cultural environment dictates what are the possible events and situations in the society with regards to the way a nation works for its betterment. The nation’s cultural environment leads a certain country into doing what it thinks will be the best action for its future and avoiding any action that will result into problems. It creates models that the children follow without them knowing whether the action is acceptable or not. To counter the effects of the cultural environment to a child, they must undergo behavior modification while they are little.   Behavior modification intends to change the child’s behavior by various means.  Behavior modification has been used by psychotherapists, parents and guidance counselors to try finding ways to alter the human behavior. Behavior modification can be done through methods such as positive or negative reinforcement and the extinction of maladaptive behavior through positive and negative conditioning. With proper use behavior modification can help a child to grow up with lesser instances of aggressiveness. Reinforcement A fountain usually produces a stream of water; flipping a light switch usually results in increased illumination; and pressing keys on a keyboard results in letters and words appearing on a monitor. These relations between acts and consequences are called operant contingencies, because the act operates on, or changes, the world. Principles of selection describe the functional relations between acts and consequences or the operant and the subsequent frequency of the act. Relations of that kind have the name contingencies ( &  1997).  As it turns out, some act-consequence relations result in increased or sustained frequency of the act that is part of that contingency, and other act-consequence relations result in decreased frequency of the act that is part of that contingency. Some act-consequence contingencies have no effect on future frequency of the act. When the contingency accounts for increased frequency of an act, the reinforcement principle is being described. When the contingency accounts for decreased frequency of an act, the punishment principle is being described ( &  1997).   Reinforcement and extinction principles are considered scientific principles because the functional relations they describe do not pertain only to single occurrences: not just to someone's behavior, or to button pressing, or to tones as consequences. They pertain to any and all relations where the frequency of an act can be shown to increase and decrease as a function of the presence or absence of an operant contingency ( &  1997).  The effect of the antecedent reflects the effect of the consequence it signals: The antecedents of reinforcement evoke the behavior reinforced; the antecedents of punishment and extinction suppress the behavior punished or extinguished and often evoke any previously established avoidance, escapes, or counter controls.  The probability of an individual's learning at a given developmental point varies not only as a function of reinforcement, but also as a function of the historical and contemporaneous contextual variables interacting. Knowledge is not just a group of responses; it is a group of responses to the stimuli defining the problem that gain the reinforcers programmed only for correct solutions to the problem. A problem's solution is correct if the agency programming reinforcement of its solution presents the reinforcer systematically enough ( &  1997).     One way to minimize and guide the child who has aggressive behavioral issues is to provide reinforcement to the child.  Reinforcement can be done in both a positive and negative way. Positive reinforcement focuses on giving kind words and ideas to a child who promises not to commit any aggressive acts. Positive reinforcement can also be in the form of tangible rewards that they child want. Negative reinforcement is when the child is warned about punishment when he/she commits any aggressive act. Negative reinforcement can also be in the form of reduction of certain things the child likes. Reinforcement tends to make the child try to refrain from showing compulsive behavior. Together with proper medication and clinical sessions reinforcement can help bring out the best in the child and reduce instances of aggressive behavior. Conditioning Evolution is not the only thing that determines a being’s behavior it is also determined by learning gained from the being’s experience in its environment. In psychology learning refers to a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as the result of reinforcement. One type of learning is conditioning, of which there are two explanations: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Both classical and operant conditioning attempt to explain exactly how humans learns such new behaviors; thus they are learning theories. Furthermore, both classical conditioning theory and operant conditioning theory are based on behaviorism ( 2002).  Behaviorism is an approach in psychology that argues that the only appropriate subject matter for scientific psychological investigation is directly observable and measurable behavior. Therefore behaviorists claim that internal mental processes are not appropriate subject matter for scientific psychological investigation as they are not directly observable and measurable ( 2002).  Conditioning is the use of strategies to make a child follow the teacher or any other adult without using force or other method to motivate the child. In conditioning the mind of the child is set into doing the things instructed by the one who stands as his/her behavioral coach.  The coach doesn’t have to tell him/ her to do. This creates minimal occurrence of aggressive behavior because the child thinks twice before doing aggressive actions. The focus of the child shifts from the aggressive act into what the behavior coach instructed him/her to do. In this technique the child gains more drive to do things approved by the behavior coach. References

DEALING WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR IN CLASS

Introduction The field of developmental psychology traditionally has taken the position that behavior develops in the child through bio...