APPLICATION EXERCISE

Chapter 2 Effective Applications of Self-Management

This application exercise takes the next step in designing a self-management project. Our main task will be to narrow down and refine the list of potential outcome goals you generated in the Chapter 1 work sheet. We’ll do this by reducing your six in-the-running goals to three finalists and identifying the corresponding behaviors. Once we know the behaviors, we can begin to consider each behavioral goal—the level of the behavior you hope to achieve by the end of your behavior change program. Keep in mind, however, that the outcome and behavioral goals are usually different—for instance, if your outcome goal is to lose weight, the behavioral goal would be stated in terms of your eating and physical activity.

We’ll start this application exercise by narrowing down the goals to your three finalists, using another work sheet. We are trying to create a project with outcome and behavioral goals you believe will be:

  • Interesting and reasonably important to achieve.
  • Fairly challenging for you, with a good possibility of success.

Now, look over the questions for Work Sheet 2.1 printed on the next page, make notes on the book pages, and then fill out the work sheet.

Name ______

Date ______

Class Meeting Time______

QUESTIONS FOR WORK SHEET 2.1

1. Using Work Sheet 1.1 from Chapter 1, list below the six outcome goals that are still in-the-running and their importance ratings. Also indicate about how long you’ve known you’d like to address each goal.

In-the-Running GoalsRatingsHow Long

______

______

______

______

______

______

2. To help you reduce the above list of in-the-running goals to three finalists, make notes in the margins of the list using the following guidelines:

  • Make sure each of the three finalists involves behavior that clearly represents either (a) a deficit—it should occur often or for a long time when it happens, but doesn’t or (b) an excess—it already occurs too often or for too long.
  • Make sure each of the finalists for your first self-management project involves behavior you are willing to let other students and your instructor know about. Don’t address or describe in your project behaviors that are either illegal (your instructor could be required by law to turn you in!) or very embarrassing.
  • Consider the ratings and how long data to decide how difficult it will be to change your behavior. For your first self-management project, it’s best not to choose a behavior that will be very hard to change—as might occur if the importance rating is 9 and you’ve tried to deal with the problem for years without success. At the same time, you want the project to be challenging and interesting for you, and goals you rated 1 or 2 probably are trivial.

3. List the outcome goal finalists below, along with their ratings in the parentheses. In the remaining space provided for each goal, (a) make the goal as specific as possible, such as “I want to lose 10 pounds” or “I want to increase my self-esteem so I feel good about myself almost every day” and (b) describe the overt or covert behavior(s) you’ll need to change to reach the goal.

  • ______( importance rating)
  • ______( importance rating)
  • ______( importance rating)

4.SELF-MANAGEMENT NOTICE: Read the following notice about doing a self-management project and fill out item 5 after you have read it.

  • Confidentiality issues: All students and the instructor should keep information about any student’s project confidential, unless required by law to do otherwise.
  • Therapy issues: Doing a self-management project in a college course is an academic activity and is not meant to be a form of or take the place of psychotherapy. Do not try to do a project as therapy, such as to reduce major depression or extreme anxieties or fears. You could do more harm than good. Students who have serious psychological problems should consult the college counseling office. If you are already receiving psychotherapy and your project relates in any way to the psychological problem being addressed in therapy, you must consult your therapist regularly for help and supervision in designing and carrying out your self-management project.
  • Physical health issues: You should not design a project that could conceivably harm your physical health, such as if you (a) want to lose a great deal of weight quickly, (b) want to lose weight but are already within the standard healthful weight range for your height, or (c) have a serious medical disorder—such as heart disease or asthma—that could be affected by your project behavior, such as exercise. If there is some possibility of physical harm, your physician must approve your design.

5. Type in the space below the following statement: “I attest that I have read the above SELF-MANAGEMENT NOTICE and agree to follow its recommendations.” Then type your initials which will serve as your signature.

Statement:

Initials:

NOTE: If you will be submitting work sheets to your instructor or a fellow student, print a copy of each sheet before submitting it.