The Effects of the Relaxation Response on Self-Concept and Acting Out Behaviors.

Abstract

Methodologies for remediating or preventing acting out behavior and promoting the enhancement of self-concept remain dual concerns of school counselors. School responses to disruptive, inappropriate, and acting out student behaviors have been categorized as fixing blame, securing drug therapy, removing students from the educational mainstream, using counseling and psychotherapy, and developing classroom intervention strategies (Walker, 1979). A certain amount of uncertainty exists, however, regarding the usefulness of these responses as solutions for disruptive and acting out behavior by students. The process of blaming as a school response has not resulted in adaptive, positive responses to behavior problems (Walker, 1979). Often school referrals to mental health clinics result from inappropriate student behavior; these referred cases, which are recommended for family therapy, represent the highest frequency of cancellations (Johnson, 1975). Concerns with using drug therapy as a response include the possibility of undesirable physiological side effects (Cohen, Douglas, & Morganstern, 1971; Knights & Hinston, 1969; Rapoport, Quinn, Bradbard, Riddle, & Brooks, 1974; Safer & Allen, 1973), limited treatment effectiveness (Fish, 1971), and frequent reversals to previous behaviors after treatment is terminated (Ayllon, Layman, & Kandel, 1975). Because of the educational laws enacted during the past 15 years, removal of the disruptive or acting out student from the mainstream of education has become a difficult, if not an impossible, response. Furthermore, research indicates that treatment gains acquired in special class settings have not been maintained after reintegration of students into regular classrooms (Walker & Buckley, 1974). Counseling and psychotherapy as a response has been described as a weak treatment procedure (Walker, 1979). Several factors contribute to the minimal effectiveness of this treatment. A person's verbal behavior frequently shows little relationship to how he or she behaves in the natural setting or classroom (Ullman & Krasner, 1965), and behavior changes tend to occur in settings in which formal intervention procedures are implemented (Kazdin & Bootzin, 1972; O'Leary & Drabman, 1971).