The ABC model of behavior, a tool for change

We all know how to identify bad behavior, but understanding it is another story. If in a preschool classroom we have a child who bites his classmates, we will label that student as aggressive and we will limit ourselves to controlling his behavior. If there is a bad-tempered and irritable colleague at work, the most common thing is that we avoid being close to him or even treat him.

Understanding what drives a person to behave in a negative and even dysfunctional way requires going beyond what is apparent. We are very quick to label, but very little patient in stopping to understand. In this way, and as we can well imagine, one of the most decisive purposes of psychology is to unravel the variables behind behaviors.

The human being is a complex conglomerate of factors that determine how we are, what we think and what we do. In this network of elements are our genetics, environmental factors, experiences, upbringing, behavioral history, etc. To understand this challenging universe, we have tools as interesting as the ABC model developed by cognitive psychotherapist Albert Ellis.

One purpose of the ABC model is to understand children’s dysfunctional behaviors.

The ABC model and why we do what we do

The ABC model is a strategy often used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change dysfunctional or negative behavior. The letters ABC are an acronym, which translated from English means: antecedents, behavior and consequences.

Thanks to this resource, the psychologist has a lens to understand, from observation and functional analysis, why a child bites in class or why that co-worker has been so secretive and irritable for a while. At the end of the day, Behind every behavior there is always a series of antecedents that generate a response and this has consequences.. Understanding that sequence is a tool of enormous value.

In this way, a work carried out by professors at the University of Nevada, William O’Donohue Jane E. Fisher Steven, points out that cognitive behavioral therapy applies this model in situations as varied as getting someone to stop smoking or to drive better. your stress. Likewise, if there is one field in which it is effective, it is in education.

Objectives and application

The ABC model of behavior has a wide range of application areas. The goal is not just to understand what is behind each thought, habit and behavior. The ultimate goal is to address that problematic or dysfunctional behavior and facilitate improvement, healthy change. (Kuyken, Padesky & Dudley, 2009).

Let’s see how it is applied:

Step 1. Describe problematic behavior

The first thing the professional should do is describe objectively and meticulously that central behavior that causes the problem. Let’s go once again to the imaginary case of that childhood child proposed at the beginning:

Manuel is four years old and bites his classmates three to four times a week. He carries out this aggressive behavior when he must perform group tasks and, above all, in the last hours of the day, when he is most tired. His parents are informed and comment that they have not seen that type of reaction at home (he only has one sister and she is five months old).

Step 2. Describe background

In what situation does dysfunctional behavior appear? What previous events, conditions, or factors might contribute to that type of reaction? What people accompany the investigated subject? What type of interaction does it have with its environment? Analysis and observation are two key mechanisms in the ABC model of behavior.

Manuel bites his classmates when he loses patience in group tasks. Also when he is tired. He does not want to share, he constantly seeks to be the center of his teacher’s attention and quickly becomes frustrated when asked for something. His parents point out that since his little sister arrived he has felt jealous.

Step 3. Describe consequences

Every behavior has an effect, both on the environment itself and on the person who issues the action. The problem is that, many times, these consequences can also act as reinforcers.

For example, the smoker feels pleasure with tobacco and links it to moments of leisure or social connection, although in the long term, this addiction has consequences.

When Manuel bites his companions he often gets his way. He keeps the materials he wants and imposes himself on others. However, this disrupts the classes and generates discomfort in the educators who no longer know how to handle the child due to his aggressiveness. In the end, they have chosen to allow him to do certain tasks just to avoid further conflict. This is gratifying to him.

Step 4. The intervention

Why do certain dysfunctional behaviors persist? Why do people repeat thoughts and actions that are harmful to us and our environment? The objective of the ABC model of behavior is to help us identify those hidden variables that shape realities as challenging as addictions or self-harm.

The most decisive step is to outline a series of interventions that, as an experiment, will aim to achieve change. It should be noted that many times they are established by trial and error. Supervising and evaluating each intervention is decisive.

Let’s continue with our case:

Firstly, in the case of Manuel, it is established to help his parents manage their jealousy over the arrival of his new sister. Giving the child tools to manage her emotions will be the first step. The next thing will be to insist that the child, far from allowing him to work alone, learn collaboration strategies with his peers. Knowing how to share and manage frustration will be the two most decisive pillars.

The ABC model teaches us the importance of understanding what is behind each dysfunctional behavior.

Conclusion

We live in a society that focuses almost exclusively on the consequences of actions to reward or punish them. So, when we see someone, adult or child, trapped in the cycle of a series of counterproductive habits, we don’t always know how to act. It is important to know what surrounds that individual, what happens inside him, and what antecedents precede his actions.

The ABC model provides significant value when it comes to carry out this task of analysis, research and intervention for change. The areas of application are infinite, even extending to the area of ​​animals. Few tools are so interesting and practical in psychology.

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