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behavior therapy

behavior therapy

3 3.9
A treatment that helps people change actions they do not want by rewarding better ones
  • noun
  • /bɪˈheɪvjər ˈθɛrəpi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : terapia de conducta
  • Many psychologists recommend behavior therapy for treating anxiety disorders by reinforcing positive behaviors.
  • cognitive behavior therapy
  • emotive behavior therapy
  • rational emotive behavior therapy

What she does is she does behavior therapy and it's called ABA.

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Examples

  • Although not required to do so, they also are more likely to enroll in adult psychopathology, behavior therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy courses.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Within behavior therapy, a focus is placed on helping the mother become aware of her inappropriate maternal reinforcement.

    Academic text (1993)
  • What she does is she does behavior therapy and it's called ABA.

  • We studied the major therapy theories, including behavior therapy, and applied them to the extent possible in practice.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Psychodynamic therapy has not been helpful in removing symptoms, but a form of behavior therapy, exposure coupled with response prevention, has proved successful.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Before long, behavior therapy had morphed into cognitive-behavior therapy, the lexical order reflecting a hierarchy of influence that still reigns today.

    Academic text (2009)
  • In behavior therapy, therapists often use reinforcement techniques to encourage desired behaviors in their clients.

  • Behavior therapy helps individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms and eliminate harmful habits.

Synonyms

behavior modification
vsbehavior therapy
  • Specialized
6 4.5

A way to change unwanted actions by rewarding the good and discouraging the bad

is a more formal clinical term for the same treatment

How Integrative

psychosynthesis
  • Specialized
9.9
modern therapy
  • Specialized
3.5
psychodynamic
  • Specialized
1 7.9
behavior therapy
  • Specialized
3 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

behavior + therapy

The meaning 'a form of treatment for behaviors' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'behavior' (actions/responses) with 'therapy' (treatment); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to treatment aimed at behavior. This noun+noun compound pattern is common in English and parallels constructions in many other languages, so the relation is immediately comprehensible to learners.

Etymology

Behavior therapy comes from a simple idea: the word behavior means the actions someone does and therapy means 'help', so the treatment uses rewards and small steps to teach new actions. That's why behavior therapy means a kind of help that focuses on changing actions rather than talking about the past.