Trollope had thus developed a well structured and apparently effective program of self-management

which took the form of the modern technique of bed monitoring. It took another 150 years or so for
psychologists to develop the technical vocabulary to define self-monitoring which, according to Kazdin.
..... consist of systemarkally observing ones behavior..... the informations conveys whether the
behavior departs from a culturally or self-imposed seacted off performance. If the behavior departs
from anacceptable level corrected section may be initiated until the level has been met (Kazdin, 1989 :
219)
Client-centered programs
Natural wisdom norwithstanding, the succesful application of behavior modification requires more than
simply leaving clients to their own devices. In those cases the individual should be the dominant figure in
the process; however, the process requires the optimal mix of individual autonomy and profesional
guidance. The individual, for example, may walk in off the street into the educators office and
arnounce, Im tired of being fat please help me lose weight. If they are to succed they may need to
receive information on the caloric value of foods, caloric cost od specific exercise, and advice on specific
self-monagement techniques; however, it is their responsibility to decide when the program begins,
what goals are to be achieved, and the specific incentives and/or disincentives that are to be imposed.
The success of client-centered programs also depends to a large degree on the aforementioned
factor of motivation and the skill and innovation of both client and helper. Fortunately, there are a
number af well established techniques available. Kazdin (1989) describes five basic categories, namely,
(1) self-monitoring, (2) stimulus control, (3) self-reinforcementand and/or self-punishment, (4) alternate
response training , and (5) biofeedback.
As previously described, self-monitoringsimply takes a normal everyday behavior, formalizes it,
and makes it more precise. It may be used as a free-standing strategy or combined with self-
reinforcement and/or self-punishmentto enhance the prospects of long-term change. Stimulus control
techniquesmost often involve changing or avoiding the situation that triggers or elicis the undesirable
behavior . someone on a weight reducation diet, for example, may choose to put tempting snack
foodsout of sight or, perhaps, in the gerbage can. Placing ones required medications alongside the
never forgotten morning cofee pot can serve as a cue stimulus to a desirable behavior.
Regardless of whether the program be externally directed or self-administered, self-
reinforcement techniques tend to be more effective and lose troubled by undesirable side-effectsthan
self-punishment. The professional literature contains many reports of successful programs of this type.
For example, Hailey and associates (1992) compared the effectiveness of self-reinforcement, peer
reinforcement, and simple encouragement with no subsequent reinforcement on the frequency of
breast self-examination among college women. They found both types of reinforcement to be effective
and approximately equal in their.