The Benefits Of Aversion Therapy

The average person can define what their idea of corporal punishment is, but they cannot describe what aversion therapy is. In layman's terms, they are one in the same. Aversion therapy is a term psychologist use to describe “a type of behaviour therapy which aims to reduce or eliminate an undesirable behaviour. This can be achieved by associating the undesirable behaviour with unpleasant stimuli” (Psychology Notes HQ). One example of aversion therapy, which quite common, is when an individual uses the popping of a rubber band on their wrist while quitting smoking. Every time that person had a positive thought about smoking they would inflict the pain. Enough aversion therapy would associate pain or negative thoughts to the bad habit they …show more content…
The APA cannot regulate a person’s domain. In both senses, I agree with the APA. As much as I want to disagree with the APA, my research and life experience shows otherwise. As a pseudo-parent, I have no problem with spanking my children. I also have no problem using whichever method of correction/ reinforcement best suites the situation. One child learns better through positive reinforcement, and a tiny amount of correction will send her into a spiral. She is my child that can be talked to and corrected. However, I am not so lucky with the others. Each has their unique quirks, and each requires different discipline each time. As a parent is is hard not to take “aversion therapy” into your own hands. If conducted wrong, it can have detrimental consequences and adverse reactions. I can see that throughout my childhood. However, there is a difference between corporal punishment and spanking a child. Spanking a child needs to be reserved for the hand or belt across the bottom, nowhere else. In my professional career, the majority of people I deal with do not spank their children, or they go to the extreme of inflicting corporal punishment. I suppose they do not know how to keep their cool when disciplining children. In both cases, the children become my problem. I am the one who gets called because their five year old won’t eat dinner or won't quit throwing the temper tantrum. I am the one who is called because the thirteen-year-old just hit mom as mom hits her. I am the one called when the spanking is out of control and is now abuse. In both my personal and professional life and unprofessional psychology student opinion, I believe that all forms of therapy are necessary depending on the person and the