Psychology Commons^™

"But I'M Not Really Bad": Using An Idiographic Versus A Nomothetic Approach To Understand The Reasons For Difficult Behaviour In Children, Vicki Bitsika

Vicki Bitsika

The number of students who are identified as experiencing behavioural difficulties in the mainstream school setting is growing. However, current efforts by teachers to address these behavioural difficulties are seriously limited because of lack of training in the procedures for assessing and working with difficult behaviour. This paper will argue that the apparent failure of traditional "behaviour modification" in producing positive changes in difficult behaviour lies in its prescriptive application of general strategies to specific student problems. This approach to behaviour change is ineffective because it is not based on an understanding of the reasons for difficult behaviour. The functional …