Guidelines for a Behavioral Chain Analysis and Solution Analysis

1. Describe the specific problem behavior

·         Be very specific and detailed. Avoid vague terms.

·         Identify exactly what you did, said, thought or felt (if a feeling is the targeted problem behavior)

·         Describe the intensity of the behavior and other characteristics of the behavior that are important

·         Describe the problem behavior in enough detail that an actor in a play or a movie could recreate the behavior exactly

2. Describe the specific precipitating event that started the whole chain   

          behavior.

·         Identify the environmental event that started the chain. Always start with some event in your environment, even if it does not seem to you that the environmental even “caused” the problem behavior. Here are some possible question to get at this:

1)      When did the sequence of events that led to the problem behavior begin? When did the problem start?

2)      What was going on the moment the problem started?

3)      What were you doing/thinking/feeling/imagining at that time?

4)      Why did the problem behavior happen on that day instead of the day before?

3. Describe the vulnerability factors happening before the precipitating event. What factors or events made you more vulnerable to a problematic chain? Areas to examine include the following:

·         Physical illness, unbalanced eating or sleeping, injury

·         Use of alcohol, misuse of prescription drugs

·         Stressful events in the environment (positive or negative)

·         Intense emotions, such as sadness, anger, fear or loneliness

·         Previous behaviors of your own that you found stressful

4. Describe in excruciating detail the chain of events that led up to the problem behavior.

• What next? Imagine that your problem behavior is chained to the precipitating event in the environment. How long is the chain? Where does it go? What are the links? Write out all links in the chain of events, no matter how small. Be very specific, as if you are writing a script for a play

1)      What exact thought (or belief), feeling or action followed the precipitating event? What thought, feeling or action followed that? What next? What next?

2)      Look at each link in the chain after you write it. Was there another thought, feeling or action that could have occurred? Could someone else have thought, felt or acted differently at that point? If so, explain how that specific thought, feeling or action came to be.

3)      For each link in the chain, ask yourself: Is there a smaller link I could describe?

5. What were the consequences of this behavior? Be specific. (How did other people react immediately and later? How did you feel immediately following the behavior? Later? What effect did the behavior have on you and your environment?)

6. Describe in detail different solutions to the problem

• Go back to the chain of your behaviors following the prompting event. Circle each point or link where, if you had done something different, you would have avoided the problem behavior
• What could you have done differently at each link in the chain of events to avoid the problem behavior? What coping behaviors or skillful behaviors could you have used?

7. Describe in detail a prevention strategy for how you could have kept the chain from starting by reducing your vulnerability to the chain.

8. Describe what you are going to do to repair important of significant consequences of the problem behavior.