covert conditioning

psychology

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July 16, 2026

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Covert conditioning is a form of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Joseph Cautela. It involves pairing images of an undesirable behavior with images of aversive stimuli, such as nausea or vomiting. The goal is to reduce the positive associations a person has with the unwanted behavior by creating a negative mental connection. This technique is a type of aversion therapy, which uses unpleasant stimuli to discourage specific actions. The term "covert" refers to the fact that these conditioning processes occur internally, within the individual's mind, rather than through external, observable actions.1

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aversion therapy
In covert conditioning, developed by American psychologist Joseph Cautela, images of undesirable behaviour (e.g., smoking) are paired with images of aversive stimuli (e.g., nausea and vomiting) in a systematic sequence designed to reduce the positive cues that had been associated with the behaviour. (See conditioning.)
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In covert conditioning, developed by American psychologist Joseph Cautela, images of undesirable behaviour (e.g., smoking) are paired with images of aversive stimuli (e.g., nausea and vomiting) in a systematic sequence designed to reduce the positive cues that had been associated with the behaviour. (See conditioning.)
Read More