Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement

Reinforcement has long been a psychological tool used to teach an individual to take specific actions or learn a specific way of thinking. The process is thought to have applications in areas as diverse to child development, animal training and treatment of psychological disorders. In terms of anxiety disorders and depression, reinforcement is often employed by a therapist or psychologist to change the way an individual's train of thought works or reward him or her for positive steps taken.

Positive Reinforcement

There are two main types of reinforcement – positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is defined as a reinforcer that rewards the individual for an action taken. For example, when a child is rewarded with a special gift for getting good grades on a report card, it is considered positive reinforcement. It is believed that the presentation of a positive reinforcer results in an increased likelihood for an individual to repeat the desired action in the future. This process has been adopted for anxiety and depression treatment.

Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is the attempt to increase the frequency of a particular behavior by removing an unwanted condition. For example, many cars include a feature that causes a beeping or buzzing sound when the driver's seatbelt is not buckled. In order to avoid the annoying noise, the driver is conditioned to buckle up for safety.

Benefits of Reinforcement for Anxiety and Depression

Therapists have shown that both positive and negative reinforcement can be effective tools for treating depression and anxiety. For example, by introducing proper stress management tactics, such as breathing exercises, the patient quickly learns that painful symptoms such as stomach ache, headache and a full-on panic attack can be avoided. The removal of the unwanted symptoms is an obvious example of negative reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement can also be used to the benefit of the patient. An example related to depression is when the therapist attempts to reinforce the power of positive thinking onto the individual. When the individual has a more positive attitude, makes an effort to smile more or takes time to list things they like about themselves, they are rewarded with improved happiness. The desire to improve this happiness eventually causes the individual to adopt a positive attitude in an effort to maintain and improve this positive feeling. Developing these positive feelings is an aim of The Midwest Center's Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program.

Downside of Reinforcement

It should be noted that reinforcement can also reinforce detrimental actions associated to anxiety and depression. For example, family members of a depressed individual may try to make them feel better by cooking and cleaning for them. This may teach the individual to remain sedentary and depressed in order to get rewarded with less housework.