Behavioral Interview: What It Is, And What It Is For In Psychology
The behavioral interview is a technique of inquiry and collection of information used in the field of clinical psychology and psychological treatment
It is a tool based on scientific principles and necessary to apply at the beginning of the therapeutic process to know what the patient’s problematic situations and behaviors are that must be addressed and modified.
In this article we explain what the behavioral interview consists of, what its objectives are and other details of interest.
Behavioral evaluation in psychology and, particularly, within cognitive-behavioral therapies, is a paradigm that emerged as an alternative to traditional evaluation that was based on unobservable phenomena and abstract constructs, more typical of the psychodynamic approach, which is what has dominated much of clinical psychology over the past century.
Treatment based on a behavioral approach focuses on observable and manifest behavior as the focus of the evaluation and subsequent psychological treatment. Although covert variables are not ruled out, they are not considered to have a direct influence on the person’s behavior. This type of evaluation is based, therefore, on scientific principles and assumptions that can be validated through inquiry and inference, with methods such as behavioral interviews and other techniques.
In order to carry out a behavioral evaluation, different methods and procedures can be used, with the aim of detecting problem behaviors and their parameters (antecedents, mediating and moderating variables, consequences, etc.). One way to reduce contamination and errors during the evaluation process is to use multiple evaluation instruments and sources of information (coworkers, family, friends, etc.).
Among the most used evaluation instruments are: behavioral observation, cognitive-behavioral evaluation, psychophysiological evaluation and behavioral interview, which we will talk about in more detail below.
Behavioral interview: definition and objectives
The behavioral interview is an assessment tool designed to collect information about the patient’s demands and relevant parameters of problem situations and behaviors. Although it is in an interview format, it can also be used in a self-administered manner.
The application of the behavioral interview must meet the following objectives:
Phases and application process
To correctly carry out a behavioral interview, a series of specific phases and guidelines must be followed First of all, the general objective of the interview must be established and inquire about the patient’s current functioning in order to identify the existence of maladaptive and inappropriate behaviors in one or more contexts.
Sometimes, in this first phase, the interviewer may focus too much on the subject’s history; and although understanding the origin and genesis of problems can provide additional knowledge, the really important information is the current information and what the patient provides at the present moment
In order to satisfactorily assess all problem behaviors, we must try to make a description that is as precise as possible, always including the parameters of frequency, intensity and duration in relation to the different situations in which they occur, since this will facilitate the clinician’s task throughout the behavioral interview, when determining whether these behaviors are a problem because they are deficient or because they occur in excess. . Normally, if the patient does not have previous experience doing cognitive-behavioral therapy, he or she may have certain difficulties when identifying and answering questions that involve differentiating and distinguishing between thoughts, emotional states, behaviors and physiological responses, all organized in a behavioral structure. However, the professional’s job is also to educate the patient in the discrimination of different levels of behavior.
During the behavioral interview, it is important that the clinician helps the patient operationalize behavioral traits, attitudes, and moods; That is, it is about making specific descriptions that are objective and precise in order to later intervene on the variables effectively.
Finally, we must not forget to collect information related to the generalization process that the problem behavior has had in other areas of the patient’s life. This can lead to a more exhaustive analysis of certain environments (work, school, home, etc.) to intervene in them At the end of the interview, the clinician will provide a conceptualization of the problem, detail the intervention strategies to follow, as well as an approximate estimate of the duration of the treatment.
An example of a behavioral interview
Below are some of the most common questions in a typical behavioral interview:
