Assess the function of the habit before trying to stop it

What does the habit give you? The competing response needs to meet the same underlying need.

Why it works

Many repetitive behaviors serve a function — stress regulation, sensory stimulation, boredom relief, or anxiety reduction. A competing response that blocks the motor action but doesn’t address the underlying function creates pressure that finds another outlet. Functional assessment identifies what the habit is doing so the replacement can do it too.

How to do it

1. Track what follows the habit — do you feel less anxious? More alert? Temporarily relieved?
2. Identify when the habit clusters: during concentration, boredom, social stress, or transition moments.
3. Choose a competing response that provides similar sensory or emotional output where possible.
4. If the habit serves anxiety regulation, pair the competing response with slow breathing to address that function.

Evidence

Functional assessment is standard in applied behavior analysis and is incorporated into modern HRT variants (Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment, ComB) for this reason. Matching intervention to function improves outcomes compared to function-blind approaches. (clinical)

Function-based matching is clinical consensus for BFRBs; whether it significantly improves outcomes for non-clinical everyday habits is plausible but less directly tested.

Sources

• Mansueto et al. (1999), "A comprehensive model for behavioral treatment of trichotillomania", Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

Common mistake

Choosing a competing response based on physical incompatibility alone without checking whether it meets the functional need — you’ll suppress the behavior but the need will resurface.