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25 MAY 2009
NO 1440
Motives
Helping professionals whose motives are to simply control behavior are likely to be successful by using behavior therapy techniques in doing just that – controlling the child's behavior. And for children who feel out of control, who are indeed looking for someone to help them control their behavior, as a start such an approach may be appropriate – especially if children's acting-out behavior is causing harm to themselves or to others. But the process should not stop there. The ultimate goals for helping professionals should be to teach children to take control of their own behavior – to teach children alternate, more adaptive approaches. The professional who stops, then, with behavior control is likely doing a disservice to the child. Children may learn to control their behavior in the presence of the professional – but the extent to which they truly internalize and generalize the adaptive behavior demonstrated may be questionable. Similarly, children who believe that other people are in control of their behavior are unlikely to experience feelings of competency, adequacy and self-worth.
The professional who is interested only in controlling behavior and who relies solely on the punitive components of behavior therapy will be doing little towards developing a sense of mastery in the child. On the other hand, professionals motivated by the belief that successful interventions are those that result in the child learning to take adaptive control of his life can use the teaching/learning inherent in such behavioral techniques such as positive practice, positive reinforcement, natural and logical consequences, etc., as a means to help children achieve that goal.
Children who believe that they can learn to take adaptive control of their own behavior are likely to feel confident enough in themselves to begin to truly internalize and generalize the gains they have made.
MARG CUTLER
Cutler, M. (1988). Child care commentary. Journal of Child Care, 3, 4. pp. 86-87.
