Unresolved theoretical issues in self-management: Implications for research and practice.

Answering Objections to Self-Management and Related Concepts

“…The virtues of self-management training were expanded upon by Cooper, Heron, and Heward (1987), who noted: Instances of important behavior change that might have been missed by external agents would not be missed by the individual; certain types of behavior (e.g., smoking, exercise, assertiveness) do not lend themselves to external-agent control but rather are more appropriately monitored by the individual him or herself; those with self-management skills require less trainer time; self-management can be used to control behavior not affected by weak or distant outcomes; some people perform better under self-selected standards; and finally, self-management "feels good." Reactivity, changes in behavior as a result of self-monitoring, is also widely reported (Kirby, Fowler, & Baer, 1991;Mace & West, 1986;McFall, 1977).…”

“…An increase in the future probability of a given response is essential to the definition of reinforcement, no matter who or what is delivering the consequence. If self-delivered consequences did not lead to an increase in the future probability of the target response, then it is not selfreinforcement, it is merely the self-delivery of consequences (Mace & West, 1986).…”

“…As described by Koegel and Koegel (1990) and Mace and West (1986), there are real advantages to teaching self-management skills. First, self-management may be used over long periods in the absence of a trainer.…”