Many constructs used in various areas of psychology often represent some behavioural reality not yet analysed as such. Analyses of behaviours associated with these constructs might profit both behaviour analysis and the other disciplines. This paper provides a behavioural analysis of the construct of ‘empowerment’ found in community psychology. We discuss the implications for researchers attempting to combine behaviour analysis and social action.

This paper considers the employment of women academics in Australia and describes ideological sources of individual cognitions about the acceptability of the jobs typically performed by women in academia. A cognitive-behavioural model is used to explore the role of certain group behaviours in maintaining power divisions between the sexes. It is suggested that women can control aspects of their interactions with others in ways that might facilitate their promotion. The importance of time and resource management in making these changes is emphasised. The questions of reconciling the issues of feminism and behaviourism in dealing with co-workers in tertiary education are discussed. The context is not a client/therapist interaction and the model of behaviour change underlying this article is participant rather than administrative, in that it assumes that at least some members of both sexes within Australian universities will take responsibility for self-directed behaviour change. The purpose of this paper is to consider the areas of academic politics, both micro and macro, which might be susceptible to change by people using self-directed behaviour modification techniques.

This paper reviews individual and community approaches to smoking prevention. It summarises some behavioural components of individual and group methods of smoking prevention and cessation and points to some of the shortcomings of these approaches. The advantages of community-based interventions for smoking are reviewed and the limitations of past community studies are noted. It is proposed that a community approach to smoking prevention holds considerable promise. Multiple interventions which address smoking as a community issue and the provision of community-based structures and support for smoking cessation are needed to combat this major public health problem.

About 4 million children die every year as a result of dehydration caused by acute diarrhoea. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is designed to prevent dehydration. In the past 10 years, several campaigns have been conducted throughout the world, mostly sponsored by the World Health Organization, to disseminate ORT, particularly in developing countries. This paper presents a review of 14 ORT campaigns categorising their components according to whether the researchers used antecedents, behaviours, and/or consequences. Only three campaigns manipulated all three components. Antecedent events were manipulated in all of the studies. A skills training component appears to influence the effectiveness of the campaign, since several new behaviours and complex discriminations need to be learned for people to use ORT correctly. The benefits of functionally analysing the components of current ORT campaigns are highlighted.

The potential application of behaviour therapy to cross-cultural situations is explored as societies move to recognise their bicultural or multicultural composition. First reviewed are the moral and epistemological underpinnings of behaviour therapy and questions involving the universality of behaviour principles and technologies. Expected competencies of cross-cultural therapists are next raised. The basic message, told through examples from Australia, North American, and elsewhere, is that cultural norms and values penetrate every facet of client–therapist interaction and clinical decision-making. Competently performed functional analyses can produce culturally accommodating interventions that respond to culture-specific definitions of deviancy, accepted norms of role behaviour, expectations of change techniques, and approved behaviour change practitioners.