82 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
b. Every time Andrew obsesses about being con-
taminated by germs after using a public rest-
room, he snaps a rubber band on his wrist to
remind him to stop obsessing.
The mild pain of snapping the rubber band is
meant to decrease the obsessions.Negative Punishment (withhold or remove something
to decrease a behavior):
a. Connor is hurriedly driving home from work
when he is stopped by a police officer and given a
$500 ticket for speeding.
Connor’s money is being taken away to decrease
the frequency of future speeding behavior.b. Nia loves going to the symphony, but while there,
she has a panic attack and abruptly leaves before
the concert is finished.
Leaving the symphony decreases panic symp-
toms. (Note: It might be easy to confuse this example
with the principles of reinforcement— thinking that
leaving the concert will increase the likelihood that
Nia will have panic attacks at future concerts— but
in this case, Nia wants to decrease her panic symp-
toms, so she removes something she typically enjoys.)Although learning about conditioning and reinforce-
ment may feel like an academic exercise, these important
concepts will help you better manage your anxiety.
Specifically, both reinforcement and punishment can help
you identify and alter the ways you behave so that you can
stop the vicious cycle of anxiety and appropriately confront
your anxiety.