In a therapeutic setting, a client who wants to lose weight eats some favorite foods laced with a nausea-producing drug. Yet, outside the therapist's office the client knows he or she can eat those foods without fear of nausea. This awareness contributes to the limited effectiveness of

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This scenario describes aversive conditioning, where a negative physical response (nausea) is paired with a previously enjoyable behavior (eating favorite foods) in an attempt to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. However, the limited effectiveness of this technique can be explained by the fact that outside of the therapeutic setting, the client knows they will not experience nausea and therefore may continue the behavior. This is a common issue with aversive conditioning techniques.

In a Therapeutic Setting, a Client Who Wants to Lose