Spielger and Guevremont (2010)
refer to behavior modification as a process that modifies behavior. Behavior
modification consists of procedures that change the consequences of behaviours
such as reinforcement and the stimulus conditions that elicited behaviours like
physical settings. Cognitive behavior therapy specifically refers to treatments
that change cognitions such as thoughts and beliefs that influence
psychological problems. On the broadest sense, behavior therapy includes all
aspects of procedures, meant to effect positive changes in the behavior of
people.
Essuman,
Nwaogu and Nwachukwu(1990) state that behavior modification is a systematic way
of changing an undesirable behavior, to a desirable one. They assert that for
orderliness in society, peoples’ behaviours are expected to be acceptable by
the society. Good behaviors are not only ideal, but they promote unity, love
for mankind, peaceful coexistence and national development, instead of
acrimony. This means that acceptable behaviours are meant to promote harmony
and concord instead of raising discord and disharmony in the society. Thus, behavior
modification can be devised to change ethnic and religious intolerance which
mainly could be instituted political ideologies meant as a wish to satisfy the
whims and caprices of a few people.
Egbo
(2012) writes that ideology relates, interprets and manifests reasons for
peoples’ belief, actions and hope. It mirrors and presents parlance for people
to be understood and is generally, an aggregate view of the way people and
nations define and see themselves and the way people see and interpret them in
related light. Aja-Akpuru (1997) traced radical ideologies to Karl Max who as a
revolutionalist was on a historic mission to change the world order from
capitalism to communism. The unfortunate thing is that people fan the ambers of
violence by inciting the youths on both ethnic and religious ideologies to
wreck mayhem and cause violence in Nigeria. Usually, such ideologies end up
being generated on personal reasons and gain.
Thus,
Egbo (2012) asserts that ideologies are systematically self centred, have broad
and varying scopes of levels of appeals, empirical and normative; have perceptions
of reality with claims of truth and understanding; have secret documents and,
interested in political movements; resistant to changes; claim pragmatism and
designed by inspire, incite, persuade and motivate actions. These have been the
driving force behind most ethno- religious uprising in Nigeria. This takes root
in the fact that in all societies, there are the rich and the poor; the
privileged and the under privileged; the informed and the uninformed; the
strong and the weak; the ignorant and the knowlegible, etc. and the affluent
must rule over the down trodden. In all, ideology is used to justify or
criticize condemnably, actions of either group, rulers or the ruled, as basis for
providing finesse, social harmony and or decorum for sustainable co-existence
or development or otherwise.
Behavior
modification process can therefore be used on people to unlearn them of
inciting people based on ethnic and or religious reasons. Thus, Essuman, Nwaogu
and Nwachukwu (1990) identify the benefits of behavior modifications as:
·
It
helps people to function more cooperatively and in less hostile way
·
If
produces results with disabled people
·
It
can effectively, enhance the self, that is male people feel better about them
selves able to interact batter with
other able to produce higher quality work able to keep at learning tasks longer than even before.
It
is useful in handling a number of problems. When human beings have outstanding
behaviour deficits in the cognitive, affective or psychomotor areas, behavioural
therapeutic strategies can be used to help those affected acquire the expected
skills. The indication is that behavior modification is attained through
learning and other psychological principles and can be applied to:
a.
Work
places
b.
Neurotic
individual
c.
School
situations
d.
Home/society
e.
Counseling
situations; and the purpose is to prepare people for adjustment both in the
home and in the larger society.
Behavior
modification follows a systematic procedure through which if properly followed
unlearns people of unwanted behaviours. It involves mutual agreement between
the counsellor and the clients expressing the zeal to put a stop to a
particular bad behavioural antecedent. Thus the idea of religious and ethnic
intolerance can be unlearned using the below steps between the therapist and
the clients.
1.
Problem
definition and identification
2.
Setting
of goals
3.
Selection of methods and techniques to achieving the stated goal
4.
Treatment
and feed back
5.
Evaluation
and correction
6.
Follow-up
services. (Essuman et al, 1990)
It
must be noted that the clients have to participate actively in the setting of
goals and they should also vow to decorum ethnic and religion violence and if
possible change to observe particular models in both characters and utterances.
The emphasis is that oneness can only be achieved if people are in peace and good
decorum.