Expectancy challenge refers to the

sociological Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

method that involves challenging the expectancies people associate with a behavior pattern, in an effort to affect said person's actions in regard to said behavior. This is most recently seen with

alcohol abuse Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from binge drinking to alcohol dependence, in extreme cases resulting in health problems for individuals and large scale social problems such as alcohol-relat ...

patterns on college campuses. Drinking on college campuses is a well-studied, problematic behavior pattern resulting in personal and

property damage Property damage (or cf. criminal damage in England and Wales) is damage or destruction of real or tangible personal property, caused by negligence, willful destruction, or act of nature. It is similar to vandalism and arson (destroying propert ...

, and irreparable life consequences. Research, articles to follow, have indicated that expectancy of outcomes has a large bearing on behavior patterns. In layman's terms, If a person believes negative outcomes will result, they are less likely to engage in the behavior yielding said outcomes. If positive outcomes are expected, a person is more likely to engage in the behavior yielding such outcomes. Expectancy challenge involves challenging a person's expectations of the results of certain behaviors, such as drinking. If the expectations a person associates with drinking are shifted from positive to negative, they are less likely to engage in drinking behaviors.

References

{{socio-stub Methods in sociology