Counterconditioning involves what?

• A. (behavior) redoing the behaviors that have caused the problem and performing new behaviors that can eliminate the problem
• B. A cognitive restructuring technique
• C. A pharmacological approach
• D. A dream analysis method

Answer: (A)

Counterconditioning targets replacing an undesired response to a stimulus with a new, incompatible or more adaptive response, effectively swapping out the old reaction for a healthier one. The option that describes redoing the problematic behaviors and introducing new behaviors that can eliminate the problem captures this process of replacing the old response with a new, adaptive pattern. This differs from cognitive restructuring, which changes thoughts; pharmacological approaches, which rely on medications; and dream analysis, which is a psychodynamic technique used to explore unconscious material.