Home / Summaries / Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / behavior-goal-situations

Self-regulation and self-control - Self-control

Q: What is important in the formulation of a goal for self-control?

Define it in behavioral terms I f a goal is a behavior: quit smoking then you have to specify smaller steps/subgoals necessary to reach that goal. - smoke 1 sigaret less a day If the goal is an outcome ' I want to loose 15 kg' --> specify what you need to do to reach that goal. Consume 1000 kcal less then you do now.

Q: How can you increase your commitment to change?

Make a list of all benefits 'I will feel better', 'My endurance will increase', 'I will save money', 'I reduce my risk of getting sick later on' --> quit smoking Increase social support from friends/family re-arrange your environment (don't buy sigarets) & put daily reminders in your environment ('put exercise clothes in sight')

Q: When designing and implementing a self-control program, how can you manage the environmental stimuli to help you reach your goal?

Physical guidance : keep hands in pocket when angry to avoid hitting someone Physical surrounding: go to an environment that has cues that elicit the desired behavior --> library for studying Time of day: change time of day of doing something when that makes it easier to perform the behavior --> always sport after work, but feeling very tired, try sport in the morning. Other people: change people around you, when they provide a cue for the undesired behavior (for example friends who still smoke/drink)

Q: What can be causes for relapse surrounding the behavior itself?

Fuzzy target behavior --> 'I want to improve my social relationships' --> unclear --> what kind of behavior do you need to perform? 'meet with a friend once a week'. A long-term target: 'want to graduate cum-laude' --> what do you need to do in order to achieve this? What do you need to do daily? Goals that are too ambitious --> trying too much too soon Failure to incorporate daily rewards

7 important questions on Self-regulation and self-control - Self-control

What is important in the formulation of a goal for self-control?

Define it in behavioral terms

If a goal is a behavior: quit smoking then you have to specify smaller steps/subgoals necessary to reach that goal.
- smoke 1 sigaret less a day

If the goal is an outcome "I want to loose 15 kg" --> specify what you need to do to reach that goal. Consume 1000 kcal less then you do now.

How can you increase your commitment to change?

Make a list of all benefits "I will feel better", "My endurance will increase", "I will save money", "I reduce my risk of getting sick later on" --> quit smoking
Increase social support from friends/family
re-arrange your environment (don't buy sigarets) & put daily reminders in your environment ("put exercise clothes in sight")

When designing and implementing a self-control program, how can you manage the environmental stimuli to help you reach your goal?

Physical guidance: keep hands in pocket when angry to avoid hitting someone
Physical surrounding: go to an environment that has cues that elicit the desired behavior --> library for studying
Time of day: change time of day of doing something when that makes it easier to perform the behavior --> always sport after work, but feeling very tired, try sport in the morning.
Other people: change people around you, when they provide a cue for the undesired behavior (for example friends who still smoke/drink)

In implementing and design step of the self-control programme how can you manage the behaviour?

- shaping = starting small, creating mastery experiences before going to a next step and keep progressive steps small.

"eating healthy" -->
1st step eating breakfast in the morning instead of drinking coffee --> when reached after 1 week --> implement a new stap.

In the design and implementing step of a self-control programme, how can you manage the consequences of a behavior?

Reduce the reinforcement of the undesirable behavior --> so you eliminate unwanted consequences

Can be for instance stop eating for the television, to prevent overeating, bringing a snack on your way home, to avoid buying some snacks.

Eliminate rewards of the unwanted behaviors

Antecedents (stimulus-control) : Behavior (shaping) --> consequences (positive reinforcement of wanted behavior)

--> manage environment would be putting apple in sight (stimulus control).

Include positive reward for the desirable behavior:

Positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors or from others
Immediate, and distant rewards, variation in rewards

What can be reasons for set-backs/relapse in situations (stimuli)?

Learn person skills to control high risk situations.

Avoidable set-back situations --> vb. Difficult not to drink when going to a pub.

Unavoidable set-back situations --> Patients need a default response pattern to deal with such situations

--> Plan coping strategies (for instance someone who doesn't know you and offers you a glass of wine) -> create a default response "no thank you".

What can be causes for relapse surrounding the behavior itself?

Fuzzy target behavior --> "I want to improve my social relationships" --> unclear --> what kind of behavior do you need to perform? "meet with a friend once a week".
A long-term target: "want to graduate cum-laude" --> what do you need to do in order to achieve this? What do you need to do daily?
Goals that are too ambitious --> trying too much too soon
Failure to incorporate daily rewards