This video describes behavior therapy. Behavior therapy is a therapeutic modality based on behaviorism. Behaviorism is a fairly strict theory that reduces all learning to stimulus and response. There are consequences for a behavior and these consequences either increase the probability that behavior will occur again or decrease the probability that the behavior will occur again. With strict behaviorism there is no internal state. Thoughts, moods, feelings, and free will are not important or do not exist in behaviorism. With behaviorism, there are no complex mental processes and insight is of little value. Behavior therapy does not adopt all of the components of the theory of behaviorism. Behavior therapy combines components of behaviorism and parts of mental health treatment modalities.
Stimulus and response can be divided into two categories: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. To conceptualize classical conditioning, it is important to understand that it is based really on pairing a stimulus that would not normally cause response (conditioned stimulus) with a stimulus that would normally cause a response (unconditioned stimulus). Operant conditioning is based on reinforcement and punishment. Operant conditioning has behavior that is reinforced but there is nothing unconditioned in terms of the stimulus. Techniques that are used in behavioral therapy include shaping, systematic desensitization, flooding, establishing a token economy, and the Premack principle.