psyc 164

Self-Management Techniques:

Self management, put simply, is when you apply the techniques we’ve been talking about in the course

to your own behaviours. The chapter outlines this as well, but I will just note some of the things that

separate self-management from working with other people’s behaviours.

First and foremost, there is reactivity. If you remember from earlier in the course, reactivity occurs

when the individual being observed becomes aware they are being observed and changes behaviour

accordingly. As you can imagine, it is impossible to observe yourself without being aware.  There are

a couple of ways around this. First, take objective data. For example, if you want to find out how much

time you spend studying, use a watch to record onset versus offset. You may also occasionally want to

have someone else observe the study session to consult for accuracy. Second, observe for a longer

time period. You know when you want to change exercise behaviour and just by recording it you

immediately start to exercise more? That’s reactivity. A way to combat that is by observing over a

longer period of time….eventually your behaviour will return to its normal baseline and you’ll have a

more accurate set of data points.

Make sure you have people (supportive people) that know about your plan and can encourage you.

This serves two functions: A group of people who offer support and a public means of making it less

likely you’ll cheat on your goals.

The linked chapter gives some additional information and examples for this concept.

Behavioural Contracts

One other way you can support your efforts in self-management, is to use a behavioural contract. A

contract is an agreement between a change agent (person who oversees the contract) and the client

(person wanting to change behaviour). Some advantages:

 The contract uses positive reinforcement to help change behaviour

 The contract spells out, in detail, the expectations of the client and the change

agent, so it is a useful planning document that is also flexible, week to week.

 Because the client has input into the conditions of the contract and into the

reinforcer achieved if conditions of the contract are met, there is increased

motivation to complete the contract

 The self-management has now become public, in the sense that someone else

has been made aware of your intended behaviour change, which may make it

more likely that you’ll see it through.

***Some quick notes. Theoretically, you can choose anyone to be your change agent – a family

member, a spouse, a roommate, etc. However, in order for contracts to be most effective, you should

choose someone who will not be swayed by you should you not complete your contract conditions for

the week. For example...I wanted to give up chocolate (the ultimate reinforcer for me, I must confess!)

and decided that I’d make up a contract with my husband as change agent (bad, bad idea). I limited

myself to two pieces of chocolate for the week, which as you’ve probably already guessed, I inhaled

before the ink was even dry on the contract.  This meant I had to complete the rest of the week with

no chocolate (I hope you’re hearing the swelling of sad violins as I type this). Making a long story

short...I didn’t make it. When it came time to review the contract, my poor husband sat there as I

rationalized the reasons why I didn’t meet the conditions of the contract and made the case for why I

should receive my reinforcer anyway. This put my spouse in a very awkward position....either follow

through on what he was asked to do at the beginning of the week and risk the possibility of a cranky,

sugar-deprived spouse, or cave, and perhaps live to see another day (kidding, kidding  ) He chose,

because he’s a lovely person, to cave. However, this did nothing to help me with my ultimate goal of

eating less chocolate. So...moral of the story? Choose a change agent who will not be swayed by your

behaviour one way or another – so close family members or friends are probably not your best bet,

unless they are immune to your pleadings. 

Parts of the Contract

 The contract should specify a date: Usually the span of a week

 It should state what behaviours the client will engage in for that week, and this should be very

carefully worded (_________ will run 5 times this week, for a duration of 30 minutes and

cover a minimum of 3 miles during those 30 minutes)

 It should state what reinforcer the client will receive if he/she successfully completes the

contract for that week. (If ______________ completes this behaviour, he/she will receive

_________________)

 The change agent and the client should sign the contract and each should have a copy.

 If necessary, the conditions of verification (did the person actually DO the behaviour or is he/she

just reporting that it was done) should be specified (maybe another person verifies or an app

that measures steps taken, or a route run/time)

This is what the contract looks like

What the contract looks like…

Date: _________ to _________ usually a week long

I, _________________ (person who wants to change

behaviour), agree to the following:

Define the behaviour carefully in terms of

frequency, duration and intensity

If I accomplish the stated behaviour within the one week

framework, I will receive:

Carefully define amount and nature of

reinforcer

Signed: ______________(change agent) _________(client)