Private events in behavior analysis: Conceptual basis and clinical relevance

Behavior analysis has been criticized extensively since its inception. While most criticisms seem ill-informed, two foci that relate to behavior therapy seem to have significant validity: the behavior analytic conceptualization of private events and the dearth of demonstrated efficacy of this approach with adult outpatient populations. These two issues are related and seem to result from the fact that behavior analysts have largely ignored private events until recently. However, we believe that behavior analysis is developing a position on the role of private events that is consistent with the pragmatic, contextual, nonmentalistic perspective taken by behavior analysis. We attempt to present such a perspective here. Further, and in line with the natural science tenets underlying behavior analysis, this perspective is beginning to be supported by empirical research. Because the clinical relevance of any theoretical model is related to the degree to which it guides effective treatments, a recently developed therapeutic approach that uses a behavior analytic account of private events will be sketched.