SINCE THE OPERANT CHAMBER - IS BEHAVIOR-THERAPY STILL THINKING IN BOXES

Over the last 30 years, behavioral treatments have developed with incr easing sophistication in the tradition of demonstrable efficacy. Howev er, many of the more recent gains have occurred within the context of a nonbehavioral ideology. It is argued that the greatest advances for behavior therapy now await the popular acceptance of true behavioral i deology within mental health service delivery, and that such a framewo rk will encourage the reintegration of many of the more theoretical el ements of behaviorism into existing behavioral treatments. Given the w idespread attention earned by recent empirical achievements in behavio r therapy, the occasion for promoting a behavioral ideology in health care delivery may be near. Although recent behavioral protocols have d emonstrated considerable success in clinical trials, continued efforts to develop approaches less consistent with a behavioral ideology are likely to limit further advances of disseminable behavior therapy tech niques.