Ethics of behavior modification: Behavioral and medical psychology

Abstract

There appear to be two separate, although related, ethical issues with respect to behavior modification. The first, which involves defining and establishing the rules of conduct within which the practitioner must work, is common to all forms of therapy. The second, and more controversial, issue has developed out of a concern about the use of scientific methods to change human behavior. This paper examines some of the general ethical problems faced by behavior modifiers, with special emphasis on the problems which have resulted from an empirical and objective approach to behavior change. For example, the use of aversive stimuli and the institution of token economies have been widely criticized. It is suggested that many behavior modification procedures and their consequences have been misunderstood or even misrepresented, giving behavior modification an underserved bad reputation. The education of the general public as to what behavior modification entails is an obvious first step. The development of joint experimental-applied programs for training behavior modifiers is also encouraged. Practitioners with this type of training, aware of recent changes in the basic principles of learning theory, may be better prepared to develop new behavioral treatment procedures which will be less open to criticism and more acceptable to the general public.