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This book consists of a series of papers that were presented at the Fourth Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. Some are theoretical, most are clinical papers. The clinical papers describe the different methods and application of operant conditioning. This is not a book on basic behavior therapy, and so the novice may have some difficulty with the terminology of the procedures. However, it will not be very difficult for him to become familiar with it as he proceeds.
It is a thoughtfully written book. Although it is repeatedly stated that behavioral therapy offers better and quicker results than other therapies, its difficulties, failures, and relapses are admitted. Gone are the past claims of 100 percent effective therapeutic results. This is a book that psychiatrists of other schools of thought should read for two reasons. One is to have a certain knowledge of behavioral therapy, which is becoming a well-recognized modality of treatment. The other is that there are more similarities between behavioral therapy and other therapies than formerly recognized. These similarities are often hidden by semantics and jargon. For instance, one of the modalities of treatment described in this book is the so-called assertive training. If one reads these papers without prejudice, one has the impression that this approach is similar in many respects to what other schools call supportive psychotherapy and guidance. Also, as clearly demonstrated in the introduction of this book, some behavioral therapists no longer limit themselves to making contact with patients solely through their symptoms. Some of them take into consideration the relationship of the patient with other people in his life and with the therapist in the therepeutic situation. In the introduction, the theory of fearfulness and phobias is reviewed and discussed. The view offered of these neuroses is much broader than the rather simple “persistent, maladaptive autonomic habits which exi