The Role of Reinforcement

The use of reinforcement has been shown in multiple studies in treating disorders such as anxiety and substance use. It is most commonly used during behavioral-cognitive therapy to change people’s way of thinking and actions. The outcomes of reinforcement in these treatments have shown an overall positive effect with the disorder being shown at a lesser degree or disappearing completely. Reinforcement is described as the process by which a stimulus increases the probability that a preceding behavior will occur again according to the Essentials of Understanding Psychology, 10th Edition, by Robert Feldman. Different researchers have used varying techniques of reinforcement to better suit a subject or experiment. There is positive reinforcement where the enforcer is given after the required behavior or skill is done, and there is negative reinforcement where a stimulus is removed after the required behavior or skill is done. Positive reinforcement is associated more with token systems where the subject does an activity and is rewarded with a secondary item such as money and uses that to buy a desired item, whereas negative reinforcement is seen more as taking a breather from a difficult task, it’s the removal of an unpleasant stimuli to increase behavior. These methods have led to the question of, “What exactly is the role of reinforcement in the treatment of disorders?” Most would agree that reinforcement helps to shape the positive behavior that a researcher is trying to elicit, while others would argue that the reinforcement may actually cause the subject to react in the opposite way of what was intended. Through thorough research I have come to the conclusion that reinforcement in actuality has been known to better adjust an individual’s behavior in a positive light when it comes to treating disorders. Additioanlly, reinforcement has helped address effectively social and behavioral issues.

An anxiety disorder is described as the occurrence of anxiety without an...