Behavioral Modification Project (BMP) This PowerPoint will walk you through the BMP assignment with examples and further explanation.

Part 1: Briefly introduce your BMP and explain why you chose it. Choose a behavior that is limiting you in some way, unhealthy, or a new behavior that you would like to develop.

Then share: In what way might this behavior limit you in some way? For example, you might want to quit smoking, shopping when you really don’t need anything, stop drinking caffeine, loose weight, stop cursing, or exercise more, eat healthier foods, meditate regularly, speak more lovingly to people, pay bills on time, save money, etc…the ideas really are limitless!

Whichever behavior you choose to modify, it should be: MEANINGFUL TO YOU!!!!!!! And, that you feel personally connected to!

The next question is: How do you foresee your life different once this behavior is changed? Here you talk about how your relationships would look like and how you would feel, and how the different aspects of your life would be different, if for example, you spoke more lovingly to people or had greater self-confidence, or didn’t curse as much.

The next segment is part 2: Describe your experiment: How did you track your behavior? Be specific. Take four weeks to simply track your behavior to see really the frequency and depth of the “problem” behavior. In this segment, you have not altered or modified your behavior yet! Create some sort of tracking system: you can use Excel, or simply draw four weeks on a piece of paper, or use a calendar. Then select a rating system by using different colored check marks, “x”s, stickers, or something else that comes to mind.

The last point explained the next point in the assignment: What was your time frame to observe your behavior (before modifying it) and describe what you noticed about this behavior and yourself. Remember: one month of observing your behavior before starting your action plan is preferable so that you can really understand the workings of this behavior and help shape your action plan in a meaningful and realistic manner.

The next segment is part 3: State your Action Plan This is the section where you implement a plan of action to modify your behavior. You should practice your action plan any where from 2 to 4 weeks, and of course, longer is great as it makes the new behavior even more habitual!

The questions are: What did you do? How often? What were your incentives/reward system? (Be specific; remember these incentives/rewards must be based on operant conditioning principles). What was your time frame?

In other words: Share your process in detail of how you modified your behavior. This is where you will integrate the principles of operant conditioning (primarily positive reinforcement) to encourage your new, healthier, desired, target behavior.

For Example: If you want to stop buying caffeinated drinks from Star Bucks, you might, for every day you don’t spend your money on a Star Bucks drink, put in a saving’s jar. At the end of the week, you can either buy something else non-caffeinated that costs more than simply one drink that you have been wanting, or add an extra $20 dollars to the savings jar. By the end of implementing your action plan, you might have enough money to take a small trip or simply put into savings!

Another example might be: You want to practice yoga more frequently. For each week that you do yoga 3 or 4 times, you treat yourself to an extra 20 minutes of yoga, or prepare/go to a raw, vegan restaurant for a special meal.

Or, You might want to pay your bills on time and take the money either from prior late fees or simply as a reward and take a friend out to eat or invite your friend over for a meal.

In all the cases mentioned above: The desired target behavior has to be demonstrated first (before positively reinforcing it) and; The reinforcement should be something that you really enjoy, something that inspires and motivates you to keep going!!!!!!! So that the new behavior replaces the old and becomes habit! And, keep in mind that applying a reinforcement is deliberate and intentional (it is NOT just the “feel good feelings” of experiencing the new behavior).

Share also: Your reinforcement schedule (ie. How many times did you elicit the new behavior and how often did you reinforce it). You can utilize your prior rating system of check marks, stickers, etc. to see if the behavior is really decreasing over time and also create a symbol for when you exhibit the new behavior. For what was your time frame? State for how many weeks did you undergo your action plan.

Part 4 States: Share your results and how you feel about them: How did this BMP impact you mentally/physically/emotionally/spiritually? For example, now that you are not drinking caffeine, are you mentally clearer, have more physical energy, notice more natural cues of sleepiness, emotionally more balanced, spiritually more grounded?

The remainder of the questions are more self-explanatory: How do you feel about your results? Will you continue with your BMP? Would you recommend this BMP to others? What did you learn about yourself through this process?

This project is really about you!!! If a behavior doesn’t come to mind right away, that is okay! You can set the intention and perhaps ask the question in a reflective manner: “What is the best behavior that I can modify so that I can feel happier and more at peace with myself?” Or choose a self-inquiry question that works for you. Then surrender, let go of the question. Pay attention in your waking life and to your dreams, your unconscious might start to speak to you!!!!!

Please do: Enjoy this process; Use this process as a path of self-growth; And, email me if you have any questions at speterson@peralta.edu.