Escape conditioning is a conditioning wherein there is removal
or avoidance of aversive stimuli or unpleasant stimuli, results in
an increase of the behaviour or response so as to avoid the painful
and unpleasant stimuli.
The example being considered for the following questions is
related to a woman being physically abused by her husband and she
avoids the same by running out of the house or crying, while the
husband continues his abuse on a daily basis.
•What is the unacceptable behavior?
- The unacceptable behavior is trying to avoid or escape the
situation by running out of the house or crying.
•What is the aversive condition?
- An aversive condition is a stimulus which is painful or
unpleasant and which leads to increase in a response of the
behavior that helps to avoid the same. In this situation the
aversive condition is the wife being beaten with a belt or stick by
the husband.
•What do you think would be the undesirable outcome of that
behavior?
- The undesirable outcome of that behavior is the husband will
continue to physically abuse her, while she will have to deal with
injuries and trauma. This is so as the husband knows that the wife
cannot or will not retaliate or is helpless. Also her running away
from the house or profuse crying might lead to severe abuse as
well.
•What is the acceptable alternative response?
- An acceptable alternative response is to seek advice from local
women helpline and communities to combat this situation. Also the
use of law and police can yield a better outcome.
•What is the role of awareness in all this?
- Awareness in any form of behavior modification or change is a
prerequisite, as if there isn’t awareness about the consequences of
one’s responses and hamper to quality of life, there will be
limited scope of successful adaptation of an alternate response or
beneficial behavioral changes.
- Awareness not only about the hampering consequences of the
unacceptable behavior, here which is escaping through crying or
running away, which results in increased aggression and violence,
and does no good to the situation in general. But, also in relation
to the sustenance of aversive conditions due to inability to
counter or due to plain escaping the situation. The awareness that
the husband will continue to physically abuse even after crying or
running away, and that those behavior doesn’t help to get over the
situation, is vital as this will lead or push the individual to
challenge and do something to counter the current scenario.