PSY 4 E 03: THERAPEUTIC
INTERVENTION STRATEGIES - II
UNIT–I: Behaviouristic Perspective
TOPIC: AVERSION THERAPY
, AVERSION THERAPY
One of the most controversial of all treatments is aversion therapy.
Actually, this is not a single therapy but a series of different procedures
applied to behaviours regarded as undesirable. These applications are
based on the apparently simple principle that when a response is
followed by an unpleasant consequence (e.g., punishment or Pain), its
strength will diminish. As Wolpe (1973) put it, “Aversion therapy
consists, operationally, of administering an aversive stimulus to inhibit
an unwanted emotional response, thereby diminishing its habit strength”.
An unpleasant stimulus is placed in temporal contiguity with the
undesirable behaviour. The idea is that a permanent association between
the undesirable behaviour and the unpleasant stimulus will be forged,
and conditioning will take place.
Such techniques may appear to be recent additions to scientific
and clinical repertoires. However, a little reflection will remind us that
they have been around for eons, often in the form of such
unsophisticated practices as spanking. “Go to your room,” and “No TV
tonight for you.” Modern aversive therapy techniques differ from these
examples in at least two important ways. First, the presentation of the
aversive agent is done systematically. The temporal contiguity is very
carefully monitored. Second, the punishment is consistently applied. The
punishment applied by parents is often highly inconsistent. Sometimes
INTERVENTION STRATEGIES - II
UNIT–I: Behaviouristic Perspective
TOPIC: AVERSION THERAPY
, AVERSION THERAPY
One of the most controversial of all treatments is aversion therapy.
Actually, this is not a single therapy but a series of different procedures
applied to behaviours regarded as undesirable. These applications are
based on the apparently simple principle that when a response is
followed by an unpleasant consequence (e.g., punishment or Pain), its
strength will diminish. As Wolpe (1973) put it, “Aversion therapy
consists, operationally, of administering an aversive stimulus to inhibit
an unwanted emotional response, thereby diminishing its habit strength”.
An unpleasant stimulus is placed in temporal contiguity with the
undesirable behaviour. The idea is that a permanent association between
the undesirable behaviour and the unpleasant stimulus will be forged,
and conditioning will take place.
Such techniques may appear to be recent additions to scientific
and clinical repertoires. However, a little reflection will remind us that
they have been around for eons, often in the form of such
unsophisticated practices as spanking. “Go to your room,” and “No TV
tonight for you.” Modern aversive therapy techniques differ from these
examples in at least two important ways. First, the presentation of the
aversive agent is done systematically. The temporal contiguity is very
carefully monitored. Second, the punishment is consistently applied. The
punishment applied by parents is often highly inconsistent. Sometimes
