The Promise and Challenge of Behaviour Therapy

Abstract

Three promises of behaviour therapy noted by Skinner, Eysenck, and Wolpe were discussed, namely, that behaviour problems could be treated as problems in their own right, that therapy procedures could be formulated in a testable fashion, and that treatment could be effective in months. These promises were discussed in the context of child behaviour therapy and the effectiveness of behavioural treatments was reviewed for developmental disabilities, aggression, hyperactivity, enuresis, and delinquency. Behavioural treatments were found to be demonstrably effective with these problems but not necessarily better than alternative treatments. Challenges for behaviour therapists were then proffered such as the need for more heuristic and/or theoretical concepts, the need to see the social network of clinical problems, the need for longer treatments, and the need for prevention and community intervention.S. Afr. J. Psycho!. 1982, 12: 1-6Drie beloftes wat gedragsterapie inhou, soos dlt deur Skinner, Eysenck en Wolpe aangedui word, word bespreek, naamlik: dat gedragsprobleme as probleme in eie reg beskou behoort te word, dat terapeutiese prosedures op 'n toetsbare wyse geformuieer kan word en dat behandeling in die bestek van maande effektief kan wees. Hierdie beloftes word in die konteks van kinderterapie bespreek, asook ten opsigte van die effektiwiteit van gedragswysiging by gestremdheid, aggressie, enuresis en misdaad. Daar word ook op gewys dat gedragswysiging baie effektief is met hierdie probleme, hoewel dit nie noodwendig beter is as alternatiewe behandelingsmetodes nie. Die uitdagings wat aan gedragsterapie gestel word, word vervolgens bespreek, naamlik: die behoefte aan meer heuristiese en/of teoretiese konsepte, die behoefte om die sosiale konteks van kliniese probleme meer in aanmerking te neem, die behoefte aan langer behandelings en die behoefte aan voorkoming en gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid.