Behavior is a part of everything we do, every choice we make and every action we take.  The choice to get up in the morning is a behavior. Eating breakfast and driving to work are behaviors. Every single thing we do is a behavior. Looking at the way behavior fits into our lives helps us better explain why we do what we do.  Sometimes people behave in ways that are initially difficult to understand. By looking at these actions through a behavioral approach and attempting to determine why they engage in a particular behavior we can help find alternatives to inappropriate behaviors and teach appropriate ones.

Behavior can be caused by the antecedents (what happens before a behavior) or by the consequences (what happens after a behavior).  There are four underlying causes of behavior:

·      Sensory (a behavior that feels good)

·      Escape (a behavior that results in escaping the demand)

·      Attention (a behavior that gets attention- either positive or negative)

·      Tangible (a behavior that results in being given something)

Everything we do can be explained by one of the reasons above, or a combination of these.