Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment, 10th Edition

David L. Watson, Roland G. Tharp

Copyright 2014
{{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2013-01-01T00:00:00+0000')}}

Starting At $84.49 See pricing and ISBN options

Instructor Next Steps

Students: Buy now

Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment 10th Edition by David L. Watson/Roland G. Tharp

Quick Navigation

Overview
Meet the Authors
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
Pricing

Overview

SELF-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR is designed to help students achieve whatever life goals they set for themselves. The authors provide a general theory of behavior, guide students through exercises for developing skills in self-analysis, and provide scientifically based instruction in the principles and practices of self-applied psychology. Numerous strategies, based on theory and research, equip students to apply their new skills to different behaviors and in different settings. Case examples demonstrate how the authors' students have successfully used the book's techniques. Completely updated, the tenth edition incorporates recent research, additional topics such as the self-regulation of emotion and Dweck's concept of mindset, and a new case study on weight control that runs throughout the book. This text has helped over one half million readers and will continue to support instructors in their quest to assist students with their self-change goals.

Available with InfoTrac® Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac.

Meet the Authors

{{collapseContainerClosed['meet-the-author'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

David L. Watson

David L. Watson is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a Charter Fellow of the American Psychological Society. Watson is well known for his work in social anxiety, having developed the original scale to measure it. He has written textbooks in introductory psychology, social psychology, and learning skills. Watson is an enthusiastic world traveler, having visited over 100 countries. He speaks French and Greek, and is a certified master gardener, specializing in xerophytic plants. He divides his time now between Honolulu and Albuquerque.

Roland G. Tharp

Roland George Tharp is a distinguished researcher, psychologist, educator, writer, and filmmaker. Over the course of his career he has received repeated recognition for excellence and leadership in every arena of his work. Tharp is professor emeritus of education and psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Hawaii. He is the founding director of the national Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) and the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP). His research focuses on human development, psychotherapy, community psychology, education, culture, anthropology, and applied linguistics. Tharp is considered a distinguished researcher, practitioner, and author in the areas of education, educational reform, and the development of sociocultural theory. His work spans more than 40 years.

What's New

{{collapseContainerClosed['whats-new'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Based on the authors' review of all relevant literature for every chapter, the text incorporates many changes to reflect up-to-date data and theory. This edition also augments its research base, providing additional empirical support for the procedures you teach.
This edition explains and uses the strength model of will power, and introduces and fully integrates the overarching theory of how people change.
Many new concepts are introduced, including Dweck's new concept of mindset and how it affects self-control, the advantages of planning for problems before they occur, acceptance and commitment therapy, and the self-regulation of emotion.
Reflecting the emphasis on weight control in our society, this edition weaves a new, detailed account of a weight control case throughout each chapter.
Discussion of recent research includes new material on being a successful college student, social anxiety, positive psychology and its use in achieving goals, the conflict theory of will power failure, how thought suppression can create problems, how rumination can lead to depression, and how thinking of three good things can lift a low mood.

Features

{{collapseContainerClosed['features'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Each chapter begins with an Outline and Learning Objectives to help guide students' reading.
Key terms are highlighted in bold throughout the narrative of the text.
End-of-chapter materials include a "Tips for Typical Topics" (such as time management, shyness, and overeating) that suggest specific applications of the general principles treated in the chapter; a Chapter Summary; and a step in the "Your Own Self-Direction Project."
Each chapter includes another step in the "Your Own Self-Direction Project," a sample project for students to complete that will help them understand what a completed self-modification project looks like and how to plan one for themselves.
Case examples demonstrate how the authors' own students have successfully used the book's techniques, including one student who used shaping to gradually increase her ability to study, and another who learned to be more sure of himself on dates by consciously modeling a friend's confident behavior.
Plans and suggestions help students be successful in many pertinent areas. For instance, an outline of self-directed learning includes suggestions for behavioral changes that students can make to become better students. Acknowledging that many students have testing anxiety, the authors include a complete, empirically based plan with a mnemonic that teaches students how to take tests with efficiency and without anxiety. In addition, David L. Watson's theory of "the mindful diet" is included, along with directions for use and a complete description of a successful diet story.
The text ends with an adaptation of research from positive psychology on achieving happiness, showing how to use self-modification to strive for happiness in life. The authors stipulate behavioral goals leading to happiness and strategies for reaching them.

{{collapseContainerClosed['table-of-contents'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

1. Adjustment and the Skills of Self-Direction.
2. Forethought: Specifying Targets, Anticipating Obstacles, and Creating Goals.
3. Self-Knowledge: Observation and Recording.
4. The Principles of Self-Regulation.
5. Antecedents.
6. Behaviors: Actions, Thoughts, and Feelings.
7. Consequences.
8. Developing a Successful Plan.
9. Problem Solving and Relapse Prevention.
10. Termination and Beyond.