Compassion: The Eighth Dimension of Applied Behavior Analysis

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is rooted in the conviction that behavior change can lead to improved quality of life. The goal of ABA has always been to help our consumers achieve outcomes and milestones that are important to them and improve their lives in ways that they choose. For more than half a century, this approach has proven successful. But we are now hearing increasing concerns about problematic application of behavioral principles, suggesting that as our field has grown, we may have lost sight of client-centered interventions and outcomes. In this article, we propose a reconceptualization of the practice of ABA, adding compassion to the current dimensions that have represented our field since 1968. Adding compassion as a definitional dimension of ABA will help behavior analysts find their way back to implementing interventions in a responsive, collaborative, and humble manner that includes working with our consumers and our critics, and listening to perspectives that can help us improve our practice.