Behavior Change by Medical Condition - Essay Example

The life of J. Boog Custer can only be described as a life full of challenges. Most of these challenges are a consequence of his medical condition. He was born and brought up in Maryland where he has spent his entire life. Mr. Custer was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at the age of two. This is a hereditary condition hence it is deemed he inherited it from his parents. Mr. Custer was brought up by his grandparents who devoted their all to ensuring their grandson got all the affection he needed.  Mr. Custer journeyed through his life battling with Muscular Dystrophy. At the age of 34, he beholds hobbies typical of his age. He has a passion for cooking, playing video games, and going to the movies. Mr. Custer is however not a typical adult in his thirties. As a result of his medical condition, he is confined to a wheelchair. On top of that, he is a divorcee. His medical condition made him develop a sense of insecurity culminating in anti-social behavior. This behavior seemingly took a toll on their marriage and in an attempt to salvage his marriage; Mr. Custer consulted the services of a counselor but in vain. His antisocial behavior finally ate up his four-year-old marriage and triumphantly ripped it apart. That acted as a wake-up signal for him that he needed to change his behavior for the better.

BODY

DATA COLLECTION

To get a better glimpse at the personality of this man, I interviewed him. In order to obtain elaborate data to help me guide him through his behavior change, I had to conduct an in-depth interview that would allow me to peek into his internal monologue and try to understand his view on his past experiences.

I had the intention of beginning my intervention with Mr. Custer by addressing the cognitive errors that manifest themselves in the event that his anti-social behavior strikes. I attached profound importance to addressing any behavioral abnormalities that are displayed as a result of cognitive errors that have been left unattended during his previous relationships. These two steps were to act as my building blocks toward a beneficial intervention. To be able to keep track of our progress I kept both audio and video recordings beside journals kept by myself, Mr. Custer, and his girlfriend. The inclusion of his girlfriend in the intervention was to enable me to obtain an objective outsider's perspective. It was geared towards acting as a fidelity heck and helping to keep all the findings impartial.

THERAPY

According to the Social Cognitive Theory, the environment was all set. Mr. Custer had portrayed behavior capability. This has created a platform to determine the situation and all I needed to do was to provide and influence reinforcement. To prop on his behavioral capability, I asked the girlfriend that in the event of his anti-social ‘attacks’, she reminds him to practice self-control and remind to stick to his emotional coping responses. We had agreed that part of the emotional coping responses involved trying to create as many new friends as possible, mostly lady friends, and trying to treat them as friendly as possible. The reinforcement from my side was more about reminding him that he has a behavioral journey to travel and that he sticks to his map and utilizes his driver.

RESULTS

The progress was gradual. How he handled his girlfriend started improving though gradually. His social network expanded gradually too though not at the expected speed. Behavioral changes started being instituted slowly and the only challenge now is to keep the improvement going. Any behavioral modification or cognitive distortion therapy will take a great deal of effort on the part of the individual affected. Mr. Custer is no different, I, therefore, advocate for continued reinforcement.

The above shows the progress of Mr. Custer when his real score is compared to the goals I had set for his progress.

SUMMARY

Intervention plays a very key function in cognitive behavior. It actually is the biggest prop in behavioral change. For behavior capability, and emotional coping progress to be successful, intervention is needed. It acts as a constant reminder o the victim of the worthy course hence influencing in delivery of the objectives.

CONCLUSION

One of the most difficult things that we can do as a person is to realize the way we think and feel may not be the proper response to a particular stimulus. This was more in the case of Mr. Custer where the behavior has almost established permanence and has done a lot to influence his life. Cognitive therapy was without doubt the most helpful treatment available. This particular intervention has chronological steps that have to be followed to achieve behavioral change. It also has a concise role for each and every one of the key players in the process. It offers a fair basis upon which to judge progress and quantify the change. For Mr. Custer, the change has already been realized thanks to cognitive theory. It is also hoped that with prolonged reinforcement the pace of change will be maintained.