Question

Mihaly is feeling quite depressed these days. From a behavioral perspective, he may be suffering the effects of:_____________.

Answer 1

The following is missing for the question to be complete:

A. inadequate stimulus control.

B. anticipatory contrast.

C. extinction.

D. low self-esteem.

Answer:   C. Extinction

Explanation:  Behavioural perspective speaks of human behaviour as something that is learned rather than innate. Each behaviour is thus learned and conditioned by reinforcement or punishment depending on which behaviour is intended to be reinforced and which is characterised as problematic and as such unwanted and desirable to eliminate. So when certain behaviour is not rewarded by the environment and punished, it decreases and disappears, and such learned behaviour eventually ceases,  and that is extinction. Thus, as in the case of Mihaly, certain behaviour that he avoids for not being rewarded by the environment as something that is probably characterised as inappropriate behaviour, he gradually ceases to practice such behaviour, which is extinction, leading to the development of depression.