Behavior Modification or Positive Peer Culture

There are many choices of treatment types when it comes to behavior modification schools. Many offer the traditional behavior modification mode of rewarding positive behavior penalizing negative behavior etc. The behavior modification programs are typically based on a level system. This means that when a youth does appropriately, they advance and move up levels. This process continues through their stay until they graduate the program. There are a few programs that are using more of a Positive Peer Culture style program. nnIn the positive peer culture, the teens are allowed to experience the natural consequences of their actions. Let's compare two teens that were enrolled in boarding school at the same time. One teen decided to work the program and make some changes in his life. This teen advanced through the program and immediately began to receive privileges. The second teen decided to refuse to work the program. He did not receive any privileges. The second teen was able to learn that every choice has a consequence. This is what is meant be allowing natural consequences to happen. The advantages to allowing this to happen in a controlled environment are obvious. A teen that makes a negative choice at home may receive some legal repercussions for his choice. Most choices in a boarding school will not carry such a high price. nnThe PPC culture will allow teens to grow in a controlled environment where their negative choices will not cause legal problems for them. It is important to understand that teens that break the law in boarding schools will be prosecuted. The opportunity to break the law in a boarding school however is greatly diminished. For example, if a teen decides to beat up a staff member in a school, he or she will have legal charges to face. nnBehavior Modification programs are founded on a principle that was discovered many years ago. The principle was discovered by Ivan Pavlov, it was based on an experiment that included immediately rewarding animals when they made the appropriate choice. The animal could be trained to do tasks as long as they were rewarded after the task was done. The Behavior Modification method is used by many of the correctional and boarding schools today. The downside to this method is that when the teen returns to his natural environment (home) he will not be receiving immediate rewards for his positive behaviors. This can have a tendency to reduce the effectiveness of what he has learned.nnThe Positive Peer Culture student will sometimes have better success because they have learned to react to their peers and to make choices based on the natural consequences they have experienced. As explained with the two boys in the boarding school previously, if the choices are learned in the appropriate way they can be longer lasting. nnThere are a couple of schools that have incorporated the Positive Peer Culture very effectively. They are both located in Kansas. Tipton Academy is an all boys academy utilizing PPC very effectively. Meadowlark Academy is an all girls program that also uses PPC.