Hello Ryan S,
Indeed a contingency contract is a mutual agreement between two parties. In the arrangement, one party has to agree to perform specific desirable behavior leading to rewards, and failure to implement them leads to aversive consequences (cite). Besides, as an intervention, the process encompasses identifying the undesirable behavior that needs changing and the consequences of achieving or failing to reach the intended goal. It is recommendable that you set goals and the rewards against each short term goal to gain in the long term for contingency contracting to eventually work best with positive reinforcement to facilitate desirable behavior rather than decrease undesirable ones.
Additionally, the contingency contract is also my preference; it is enabling me with my anger management. Usually, it gets out of control, becoming destructive in my relationships with my colleagues to the extent I was excluded from any group activities since I do not play well with others. After visiting the therapist, I signed a contingency contract that incorporated my engagement in two short term objectives in the efforts of controlling my emotions. The first objective was to exercise daily both in the morning and evening hours, and the reward was a recommendation letter that allows me to join group activities. Subsequently, the agreement required me to utilize humor in my interactions to diffuse my rage and the reward appraisal for a promotion.
The contingency contracted appealed to me since it entirely involves an individual; one gets to plan how and when to engage in the activities. The fact that the therapist reinforces the contract guarantees success in achieving the overall goal. Besides, the rewards impact undesirable behavior and add to the desirable behavior—mental and physical health is improved.