The ABCs of Human Behavior

"It is rare to find a book on behavioral analysis that successfully incorporates theory and clinical utility. The ABCS of Human Behavior does, indeed, succeed. Ramnerö and Törneke provide the reader with a concise description of ideas dating back to Skinner as well as more recent treatments of such complex issues as understanding cognition. This engaging book will provide scholarly and practical information that is a must read for clinicians and students from all theoretical backgrounds."

—Christopher R. Martell, Ph.D., ABPP, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and psychology at the University of Washington and author of Depression in Context

"Along with the explosion of interest in newer psychotherapies such as ACT, behavioral activation, DBT, FAP, and mindfulness/acceptance/meditation based interventions, many clinicians who were not extensively trained in behaviorism want a deeper understanding of the fundamental behavioral processes and theory that that underlie these treatments. Up to now, this basic information was buried and dispersed in an array of textbooks, philosophical and theoretical treatises, and an extensive laboratory-based experimental literature. Ramnerö and Törneke have distilled the essentials of this (often) esoteric literature in a clearly written, comprehensive, up-to-date book that frequently illustrates the abstract principles with clinical applications. Operant conditioning, respondent conditioning, exteroceptive conditioning, stimulus control, establishing operation, functional analysis, relational framing, negative versus positive reinforcement, are a just a few examples of the concepts that are demystified, made understandable, and clinically relevant. The book is an ideal basic text for graduate students learning about behavioral psychotherapy (the author’s name for the new treatments mentioned above) and will fulfill the needs the experienced clinician who wants a deeper understanding of these therapies."

—Robert J. Kohlenberg, professor of psychology at the University of Washington

"The authors combine advanced discussions about learning theory and behavioral analysis with straightforward and informative examples. The book also discusses the more recent theoretical developments within the fields of human language and cognition. Both beginners and experienced therapists will find much to learn from reading this book."

—Lennart Melin, Ph.D., professor of clinical psychology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden