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From: Gunars Neiders
Date: 18 Oct 2007
Time: 01:30:48 -0500
Remote Name: 67.171.0.68
Dear Emily, in REBT we view the client as having substantial idiosyncrasies, individuality, and self-authority over even things as operant conditioning. From Corsini’s “The Dictionary of Psychology”:……….. *Operant Conditioning* - Phrase applied by Burrhus Skinner to a process in which behavioral change (and presumably learning) occurs due to reinforcing (rewarding) certain desired behavior and withholding rewards or punishing undesired behavior. Examples are teaching a dog to do tricks by giving it a treat when it does what is wanted; rewarding behavioral change in psychiatric patients by giving them candy or cigarettes when they act as the therapist wants. Also known as instrumental conditioning........... Having just read Walt Manning’s and Mark Onslow’s reviews of Bruce P. Ryan’s (2001) “Programmed Therapy for Stuttering in Children and Adults”, presumably one of the staunchest advocates for programmed operant conditioning, I believe that for adults, especially, simple operant conditioning is not what I subscribe to. (I am not going to talk about Lidcombe program because it is best described by the author in this conference and elsewhere.) I am concentrating on adults only. ………..In other words except for verbal acknowledgement (i.e. positive feedback) that a client has tried to dispute his or her irrationalities, tried to do his or her homework, come to his or her appointed sessions regularly, and shown keen interest in what the therapist is saying, I would not advocate operant conditioning. Making every talking situation with the therapist pleasurable, could also be considered a reward, helping the client to be more open and less anxious………..However, my main tools are classical REBT. Explaining to the client that A, the Activating Event or Adversity, does not cause C, the Consequent emotion or behavior, however, it is B, the Belief, evoked by the A. Stuttering (an Adversity) does not cause us to be anxious or ashamed. It is our self-talk our Belief, that stuttering is "awful" that causes our anxiety and, consequently further stuttering. Of course, there is also a strong component of a habit as well, that has to be broken. Remember, we either do not stutter when alone, or stutter significantly less and without significant struggle when we are speaking alone. The residual stuttering is only a habit that can be broken once we take away the excessive negative emotions via REBT. This habit then can be eliminated by building up a fluency base.........I encourage the client to motivate himself or herself using positive reinforcements when they do their homework. Other positive reinforcements are automatic. It is fun not to have unhealthy negative emotions about stuttering and able to communicate efficiently and effectively with less struggling.