Changing the “manipulative-dependent” role performance of psychiatric patients in the community

In order to facilitate the independent role performance of psychiatric outpatients in a community mental health center satellite clinic, withdrawal of social reinforcement was made contingent on clearly defined manipulative-dependent telephoning behavior. An A-B-A type self-control design demonstrated the effectiveness of this procedure on defined manipulative-dependent telephoning behavior. An A-B-A type self-control design demonstrated the effectiveness of this procedure in decreasing the number and duration of client-initiated telephoning for clients judged by team clinicians as having previously exhibited “manipulative-dependent” role-enactments.