standard behavior therapy procedures are augmented with a self-instructional package; greater treatment efficacy, more generalization, and greater persistence of treatment effects are obtained (Meichenbaum & Goodman, 1971). The first step in Meichenbaum’s approach of self-instruction is to help the client identify his/her negative statements that the client makes to him/herself. Next, the client learns self-talk to counteract the negative self-statements in the presence of stressful situations. Third, the client is taught to self-instruct the steps for taking appropriate action. Finally, the client is instructed to make self-reinforcing statements immediately after he/she has successfully coped with the stressful situation (Martin & Pear, 1999). These learned skills will inevitably bolster the client’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Psychologists can depend on their subjects to talk, even if only to themselves; whether relevant or irrelevant, the things people say to themselves determine the rest of the things they do (Meichenbaum, 1977). The fifth task is for the therapist to encourage clients to perform personal experiments. Each client needs to gather data that demonstrates an empowering and enabling self-concept, which can confirm positive change due to the therapeutic process (Meichenbaum, 1996). This is accomplished through working with clients so that they will view their automatic thoughts as hypotheses worthy of testing, rather than as God-given assertions. Clients are encouraged to adopt the stance of a scientist so that they can view their coping efforts as experiments that are designed to provide them with evidence that can be used to unfreeze their maladaptive thoughts about themselves and the world (Meichenbaum, 1996). For example, a therapist can have clients write out their predictions of how they think they will do when performing an experiment of assertive behavior. Following the experiment, the clien...
