Assignment: Self-Management Project

Self-management can be described as the situation where an individual engages in one behavior so as to control the likelihood of some other behavior at a later time (Miltenberger, 2012). Self-management can occur so as to decrease undesirable behavior or increase desirable behavior. The behavior that I want to increase is undesirable and it is the consistent picking and biting of my finger nails.
The target behavior is the picking and biting of nails. The biting of nails is to be divided into a deficit or behavior excess. It is the behavior excess that is to be reduced in frequency (Miltenberger, 2012). The main hypothesis behind me biting and picking on my nails is that it helps me to reduce anxiety. The behavior is also more frequent when am under a lot of stress for example during exams and when many projects are due around the same date. The biting of the nails seems to release some of the stress and anxiety and there is, therefore, a negative reinforcement of the behavior. The recording method that is going to be used is self-monitoring. A notebook will be used to mark the frequency of the behavior and the environment which it occurs.
References Miltenberger, R.G. (2012). Behavior Modification: Principles & Procedures (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.