A
good part of human behaviours usually occur and may have to repeat over and
over again if encouraged but may extinct if not encouraged. Most of our human
characters are either antecedent or consequential. Writing on behavioural
model, Graighead, Kadzin and Mahoney (1976) hold that a persons’ behaviours are
caused by present events that occur before
and after the behavior have been performed. Antecedents are events that
occur or are present before the person performs the behavior.
Consequences are
events that occur after and as result of the behavior. For example, being a
tyrant and despotic in rulership is an antecedent for peoples’ votes, mandate
and support. Being forced out of power also is the consequence of peoples’
withdrawal of their mandate and support.
Invariably
some antecedents elicit behaviours and are classified as acceleration behavior
therapies. Reinforcement and stimulus control in behavior therapy are used to
elicit behavior. Nigeria can give national honours to leaders who are good in
accommodating diverse peoples’ views on religion and ethnicity. Such people
could be identified especially if there had never been antecedents for ethnic
and religious provocations in their domains and recognized nationally. That
way, others would tend to emulate them. This is acceleration behavior therapy.
Deceleration
behavior therapies include therapies like punishment, differential
reinforcement and aversion therapies. There are behaviours which are used to
substitute other undesirable behaviours. It does not add to our national development
if bad leaders are identified and still, are allowed to occupy their elected
positions in perpetuity. Such leaders fuel ethnic and religious violence. Such
leaders should be forced to abdicate their thrones and free minded and accommodative
leaders enthroned. This is different and will make other people to change their
mindset and encourage ethnic and circular diversity for national progress and sustainable
development.
The
youths who usually go on rampage at the instance of the leaders can be exposed
to processes of combining reinforcement and punishment. Behavior parent
training and management taken economy and contingency contracts can be applied
to check mate the irate youths. This is the principle that the Federal Government
of Nigeria now applies in the Niger Delta area to salvage peace in the area.
Vicarious
extinction and skill training of these youths can also be applied to hold the attention
of the youths. These youths can also be taken through exposure therapy in
different forms. The threatening fear that other ethnic or religious groups could
eclipse another should be debunked through progressive mind relaxation and
systematic desensitization. Self management should be emphasized to the youths
who usually take to the streets at the instance of any provocation. Ethnic and
religious related obsessions and compulsions can be treated using implosive
therapies and flooding to accomdate other people and religions. Such people and
even the ethnic and religious leaders can be asked to model some people whose
behaviours are employable and exemplary. They can then be directed on use of
assertive trainings.
Upon
all, cognitive behavioural therapies can be applied on both the ethnic and religious
leaders as well as the irate youths who usually take to the streets at the
slightest provocation and admonition. The youths should be made to practice
thought stopping techniques and should first even understand that no children
of the leader usually join others to wreck the resulting mayhem that the bad
ethic and religious leaders flinch on the society. They should also be made to
understand, that they are the common people who stand to loose after destroying
the meager amenities provided by the government. The principle of the Rational
Emotive Therapy(RET) should be thought to the youths. Anxiety related and
traumatic stress disorders in youths should be treated. All these are cognitive
intervention strategies which should be designed alongside coping skills meant
to cushion the spirit of accommodating other peoples’ views and differences.
Self instructional trainings amongst the youths should also be encouraged as
these would reduce aggressive and disruptive behaviours in the society.