Meichenbaum's Self-Instructional Theory focuses on:

• A. External reinforcement strategies.
• B. Dream interpretation.
• C. Emphasizes internal speech and the reciprocal relationship between the individual and the environment.
• D. Behavioral avoidance techniques.

Answer: (C)

Internal speech plays a central role in guiding how we behave, and Meichenbaum’s Self-Instructional Theory centers on teaching people to regulate their actions through self-talk while also recognizing that the person and their environment influence each other. The idea is that cognitive self-statements help people plan, monitor, and adjust their behavior in real tasks, reducing stress and improving performance. Therapists model and practice these self-instructions with clients, guiding them from explicit, spoken instructions to covert inner dialogue, so they can manage future situations independently. This cognitive-behavioral emphasis on inner speech and the reciprocal person-environment relationship is what sets this approach apart from strategies focused on external reinforcement, dream interpretation, or avoidance techniques.