tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042023185090435677.post4043430622060934859..comments2023-06-15T08:29:55.759-07:00Comments on The Science of Consequences: The Joy of EscapeSusan M. Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12755729008501000863noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042023185090435677.post-92019770681961273952012-11-09T06:32:07.805-08:002012-11-09T06:32:07.805-08:00Negative reinforcement, or escape from aversive or...Negative reinforcement, or escape from aversive or unpleasant stimuli, is believed to be the motivating event behind many clinical disorders in people. Use of intoxicating drugs (legal, illegal, and medically prescribed) to escape unhappy life circumstances is well known. Aggressive, disruptive, and bizarre behaviors to escape demands or undesired social stimulation are less widely recognized, but are a set of problems that behavior analysts have built a track record in treating effectively. A particularly interesting form of self-perpetuating escape is seen in phobias. If a person develops a phobia towards a harmless object (e.g., spiders) or situation (e.g., enclosed spaces) he will often go through elaborate steps to avoid that object or situation. Ironically, his success in avoiding these feared objects will negatively reinforce his avoidance behavior and also prevent him from being exposed to the object long enough to extinguish his fear and realize that it is, indeed, harmless.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13683779347223456667noreply@blogger.com