Behavioral psychologists have repeatedly demonstrated that most people can modify their
own behavior through the application of operant principles. The text authors delineate
some of the mechanisms involved in self control, such as self reinforcement and stimulus
control.
The following exercise, outlines steps (suggested by Anthony Grasha), that will
allow you to experience directly the often, powerful effects of behavior change and
modification. You will be designing a program for yourself in order to change a behavior
that you would like to either increase, decrease or eliminate entirely.
1.
Identify a habit or behavior that you would like to
change
, either by decreasing it or
increasing it.
It could be a habit you want to eliminate like smoking, or a behavior
you want to increase, like studying more. Set a very specific goal to change that is
observable and measurable
.
a.
Don’t say “I want to get more exercise”; it’s too vague. You will need to
operationally define
“more exercise” and set a goal that is measurable and
observable; such as: “ I need to start jogging one mile every day”.
b.
Don’t say: “ I need to lose weight”; say “ I need to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks.
c.
” Don’t say: “I need to cut back on my smoking”, say: “ I need to cut my
cigarette smoking from one pack a day to half a pack a day for three
consecutive months”;
d.
Don’t say: “I need to spend more time studying”, state “ I need to study at
least 1 hour a day, 5 times a week”.
2.
Measure your Baseline
– How often do you currently engage in the behavior or habit
you want to change? In other words, if you are trying to cut back or quit smoking
how many cigarettes are you smoking per day now, before you start on a change
program?
3.
Analyze your “triggers”
or environments that make your habitual behavior more
likely to occur
.
In other words:
a.
What
settings, people, or times of day or week trigger or stimulate your bad
habit or behavior to occur? (e.g. smoking, eating or drinking too much);
Or,
b.
What setting, people or times of day or week tend to prevent you from
engaging in the behavior or habit you want to increase? (e.g. studying or
exercising more).
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