Behaviourists explain maladaptive behaviour in terms of learning Essay

Behaviourists explain maladaptive behaviour in terms of learning principles that sustain and maintain it.DISCUSS this statement - Essay Example In the wider perspective, maladaptive behaviour has been discussed from different viewpoints such as biological, psychological, and socio-cultural perspectives, and these viewpoints stress the significance of causal factors of this behaviour. Significantly, the Freudian psychoanalytic theory is the oldest psychological point of view about maladaptive behaviour and it was, for a long time, preoccupied with principles regarding libidinal energies and their suppression. Later on, the behaviourist theorists also came with their viewpoints about maladaptive behaviour and they formulated several principles to explain this characteristic in human beings. â€Å"The behavioural perspective focuses on the role of learning in human behaviour and attributes maladaptive behaviour either to failure to learn appropriate behaviour or to the learning of maladaptive behaviours. Adherents of the behavioural viewpoint attempt to alter maladaptive behaviour by extinguishing it and/or providing training in new, more adaptive behaviours.† (Carson, Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley, 2000, P. 105). Therefore, it is fundamental to comprehend that maladaptive behaviour is explained by different psychological schools in different ways. For example, Behaviourists explain maladaptive behaviour in terms of learning principles that sustain and maintain it. This paper makes a reflective exploration of the behaviourist principles concerning maladaptive behaviour in order to maintain that the behaviourist’s approach therapy is in stark contrast to a psychoanalytic (Freudian) approach. PART ONE: Behaviourist Principles and Maladaptive Behaviour The behaviourist approach to abnormality deals with maladaptive behaviour and its basic causes. According to this approach, the maladaptive forms of behaviour that have been learnt by an individual are the basic causes of mental disorders. In other words, the behaviourist viewpoint of abnormality maintains that the learning process in human behavio ur plays a significant role in the acquisition of maladaptive behaviour. The Behaviourists argue that mental disorders are due to â€Å"a complex of learned, inappropriate behaviours, or the absence of appropriate behaviour sequences. In the first instance, behaviour is termed ‘maladaptive’†¦ Further, the rules of acquisition of maladaptive behaviour are no different than the rules of acquisition of adaptive sequences.† (Medcof, Emslie, Roth, 1979, P. 264). In their provocative explanation of abnormal behaviour, the behaviourists emphasizes on how a particular maladaptive sequence is learned, because they believe that the maladaptive behaviour can be removed only by comprehending the specific conditions underlying the behaviour. Thus, the behaviourist approach makes use of the learning theory which incorporates the theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In a reflective exploration of the behavioural model of abnormality, it becomes luci d that this psychological theory emphasizes the role of learning in the acquisition of maladaptive behaviour. In other words, the behaviourists maintain that the human actions are determined mainly by the life experiences of the individuals, and the role of the unconscious forces or the underlying forces is largely limited. According to the behavioural