A CLINICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM HABITUATION OF SEXUAL AROUSAL IN ASSISTED COVERT SENSITIZATION

Behavior principles are naturally implicated in most of the behavior t herapy techniques used in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions and sex ual disorders. Hypotheses differ, however, in the extent to which beha vior therapy procedures emphasize the classical conditioning of sexual arousal (e.g. penile responses) or the operant conditioning of devian t sexual behavior patterns, or other often ignored behavior principles such as habituation. The purpose of the present case study is to inve stigate the possibility that at least part of the clinical effects of a widely used behavior therapy technique for sexual deviations, covert sensitization, may directly involve habituation processes. Results of the assisted covert sensitization case study indicate that, while exp ected decrements in sexual arousal to sexually inappropriate stimuli w ere observed, decrements in sexual arousal and self-report were also o bserved for sexually appropriate stimuli which received no aversive co nsequences, only repeated stimulus presentation over time. It is argue d that habituation processes need further empirical investigation as a potential behavioral mechanism in the beneficial clinical effects usu ally noted in covert sensitization procedures. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.