The case of Jane, a depressed single mother, provides an opportunity to study the components of behavior theory in terms of causes and conditions, target behaviors, modeling, and appropriate therapeutic techniques.
Jane has lost herself. She suffers from frustration and a fair amount of guilt, coupled with insecurity about her job and her financial situation. She has anxiety caused by her perception of having lost control of her children and her life, yet it can be seen that much of her suffering is self-inflicted by some target behaviors such as poor time management, sporadic attendance at work, and lack of participation in enjoyable activities. These behaviors yield undesirable consequences, which perpetuates a deadly cycle in which Jane’s depressive symptoms are amplified and contribute to further dysfunctional behavior.…