Last updated on December 12th, 2019 at 09:55 pm
**These articles have been put together by Academy Member Stephen Berkemeier.
Use THIS LINK to read his 5 articles on Behavior Change. Stephen suggests the following order: 1. Guide to Behavior Change 2. Guide to Reinforcement and punishment 3. Any of the strategy articles.
You can also reach Stephen at his LinkedIn**
Disclaimer
These strategies are not meant to be a form of treatment for any type of disorder, but are rather meant to be tools available for your consideration while on your journey to becoming superhuman! If you or a loved one suffers from physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral issues do not attempt to utilize these strategies as a remedy. Instead, reach out to a licensed professional if you wish to seek help.
Contingency Contract
The Contingency contract is a strategy that you can find in all sorts of behavioral modification situations! It’s a simple yet effective way of getting everyone who is involved in your journey on the same page, as well as to hold you more accountable for your actions! They’ve been shown to
“minimize disagreements about the conditions of your plan, increase commitment to the goal by everyone involved, make you even more involved in your own goals, and act as a final authority that will always stick to the core of what you are trying to achieve.”
In other words, even though your initial motivation and determination may take a beating and you might lose some of that fire in your belly as time goes on, the contingency contract will always be there to kick your butt back into gear and keep you honest with your goals! It’ll be ready to remind you of that initial motivational high you were on, and make the path forward a little more black and white.
So what exactly is a contingency contract? Well, it’s really rather simple. It’s a written contract that lays out the specific relationship between the behaviors you want to change and the rewards/penalties you will receive for sticking/not sticking to them. In other words it’s a kind of list that says “if I do this, then I get this” and “if I don’t do this, then I don’t get/get this”. Simple, right? Let me say that first part again though, because it’s very important. It’s a WRITTEN contract!!! You Actually Have To Write It!!!!! If you don’t actually write a physical document, it won’t be nearly as effective!
When writing your contract, there are three things you want to keep in mind.
- Be brief but specific with your goals, and don’t allow for any misinterpretation by a less enthusiastic future you. For example, writing “I will exercise more often” is NOT a good goal. It’s definitely brief, but not specific. I know from personal experience that I might be tired one day and think “hey, I’ve done enough walking around today, that can count as my cardio”. If that happens, I’m only cheating myself and setting myself back on my journey to being superhuman! Instead, try something more along the lines of “Three days a week, I will fit in 30 minutes of Cardio and 30 minutes of resistance training, for a total of 3 days with 60 minutes of exercise”. Now THAT is a good goal. It’s brief but very specific! You can even take it a step further by specifying the days you want to work out, if your schedule allows for it. (For more on setting goals, see my “Guide to Behavior Change” article)
- Be just as specific with your rewards/penalties. This is where you put to use all that information about reinforcement and punishment from my article on the two concepts. Leave no room for misinterpretation! This is one of the most important parts! You really want to make sure that your rewards and penalties are solid! The golden rule in behavioral psychology is “If you don’t see it as a “reward/penalty” then it’s NOT a reward/penalty” (the only exception is when it comes to the premack principle*). This is important to keep in mind because rewards and penalties are different for every person! Whatever you choose, make sure that they fill whatever role you want them to, whether it’s reinforcement or punishment.
- Finally, be very precise on how your goals are related to your rewards/penalties. I’ve said it quite a few times by now, but make sure you leave no room for misinterpretation! If my reward is getting to have a protein shake, then when do I get to have it? Is it after each day that I exercise? Is it at the end of the week, if I’ve met my goal of three days with 60 minutes of exercise? Whatever I choose, I have to make sure that it’s specific!
Okay, so now we know the basics of the contingency contract. It’s finally time to put it all together and write our own! Below, you will find an example of what a contract might look like! Experiment with one of your own, and make sure that you can count on whoever else signs it to hold you accountable! Best of luck with your journey to becoming superhuman!
*The premack principle basically states that instead of relying on something enjoyable like a reward, you can simply make current, well established habits and behaviors contingent on a new one. For example, if you are used to taking a shower in the morning and are trying to get in the habit of making your bed, you can make a rule stating that you will only take a shower AFTER you make your bed. This way, you will automatically start making your bed in order to keep it from interfering from an already established habit.
Full Contract Example
Effective Dates: From: March 1st, 2018 To: June 1st, 2018
| Stephen Agrees To: | In Response: |
| 1) Workout for a continuous hour a day, every day, five days a week. | Reward: for each day he meets his goal of 1 continuous hour of exercise, Stephen gets to drink a protein shake made with one scoop of chocolate protein powder, two cups of skim milk, a tablespoon of peanut-butter, and a tablespoon of chia seeds. |
| Penalty: For each day Stephen doesn’t meet his goal of 1 continuous hour of exercise, he doesn’t get to have a protein shake. | |
| 2) Eat at or under his macro’s 7 days a week
(P: 162, C: 340, F: 77) |
Reward: For each six day streak that Stephen eats at or under his macros, he can have a cheat day (on the seventh day) that does not conform with his macros, but remains at or under 2701 calories. |
| Penalty: Each day that Stephen eats over his macro’s, he must wait an additional 14 days (starting the day after he eats over his macros) before he is eligible for his next reward. | |
| Bonus: Each time Stephen goes a full calendar month without any penalties, he can budget an additional $25 for the following month’s non-essential expenses (video games, workout gear, nerd stuff, etc.) | |
| Penalty: Any time Stephen receives two penalties in a row (from failing to achieve any combination of the above goals) he must cut $25 from the following month’s budget for non-essential expenses (video games, workout gear, nerd stuff, etc.) | |
| I, Stephen Berkemeier, agree to the terms of the above contract. | |
| Signature/Date: | |
| I, (name of trusted individual), agree to enforce the terms of the above contract. | |
| Signature/Date: | |
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