Question

List 2 benefits and 2 drawbacks of the contingency management treatment method. Please be sure to be detailed.

Answer 1

Contingency management is a type of behavior therapy that is widely used in addiction treatments and for interventions. This therapy is based on the principles of operant conditioning. Individuals are rewarded or punished for certain behaviors. Individuals are rewarded if there are improvements in behavior in terms of vouchers or gifts. They are punished if they engage in undesirable behaviors. The goal in this type of treatment is to employ rewards as re-inforcers to positively change behavior in a supporting and uplifting manner. A wide variety of studies conducted on programs that employ such therapies have found to be effective in terms of retaining participants and strengthening abstinence from drugs.

Advantages: rewarding behaviors for improved behaviors is particularly effective for people with limited financial means. Thus such individuals are motivated to earn these rewards and thus engage in behaviors that improve their condition in order to get rewards. Here, the rewards must be something that an individual desires otherwise they will not be motivated. Thus rewards that are most interesting to the participants must be selected.

This treatment teaches individuals that one can change their behavior through appropriate motivation which is required by each individual. Thus one can change their behavior knowing that if one motivates themselves through proper means, one can refrain from engaging in behaviors that are harmful.

Drawbacks: if a reward is not exciting for the participant, they will not be motivated to improve behavior and thus the contingency management style will not be effective in treating addictions.

This style of therapy will have positive effects for the short term, but effectiveness in the long run is doubtful. The principle in this treatment method is to provide reinforces to change behavior. Absence of rewards/ punishment may cause the individual to go back to the old ways. This is because the therapy does not focus on increasing intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the one that comes from within and not driven by rewards/punishments. The therapy primarily focuses on external motivation which is beneficial, however, in the process of the treatment, internal motivation must also be increased.