Jen suggests her client Greg snap a rubber band around his wrist each time he feels tempted to smoke a cigarette. What theory is this most likely to come from?

Jen suggests her client Greg snap a rubber band around his wrist each time he feels tempted to smoke a cigarette. What theory is this most likely to come from?

• A. Behavioral
• B. Psychoanalytic
• C. Humanistic
• D. Cognitive

Answer: (A)

This uses a behavioral approach that focuses on changing observable actions through conditioning and consequences. Snapping a rubber band when a craving arises introduces a mild aversive experience tied to the urge to smoke, so the behavior is less likely to follow in the future. It’s a direct, external cue and consequence-based method aimed at modifying behavior rather than exploring unconscious motives, personal growth factors, or thought processes. Psychoanalytic approaches would look at underlying conflicts and childhood influences; humanistic methods would emphasize self-acceptance and personal growth; cognitive approaches would target changing the beliefs and thoughts driving smoking. The technique described aligns with conditioning and behavior modification, not those other frameworks.

This uses a behavioral approach that focuses on changing observable actions through conditioning and consequences. Snapping a rubber band when a craving arises introduces a mild aversive experience tied to the urge to smoke, so the behavior is less likely to follow in the future. It’s a direct, external cue and consequence-based method aimed at modifying behavior rather than exploring unconscious motives, personal growth factors, or thought processes.

Psychoanalytic approaches would look at underlying conflicts and childhood influences; humanistic methods would emphasize self-acceptance and personal growth; cognitive approaches would target changing the beliefs and thoughts driving smoking. The technique described aligns with conditioning and behavior modification, not those other frameworks.