Habit Reversal

Description of the Strategy

Habit reversal was developed by Nathan Azrin and Gregory Nunn in 1973 as a treatment for habit disorders (nervous habits and tics). Habit reversal is best characterized as a treatment package because it consists of multiple treatment components used in combination, typically in outpatient treatment settings, with adults or children with habit disorders. Habit reversal was originally developed to treat nervous habits and tics and modified a year later to treat stuttering.

Habit reversal has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of habit disorders. What characterizes each of these habit disorders is their repetitive nature. Habit behaviors occur repeatedly across situations and continue to occur in the absence of social reinforcement. Nervous habits, also called ...