The Influence of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Approach Group Counseling in Reducing Hedonistic Behavior in Students of SMK N 1 Koto Baru Dharmasraya
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background. Hedonistic behavior among students is increasingly prevalent and poses a serious threat to academic discipline, financial responsibility, and moral development. This lifestyle, often characterized by excessive consumption, materialism, and instant gratification, can hinder students' focus and future orientation. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a structured and goal-oriented therapeutic approach that has shown effectiveness in modifying irrational beliefs and maladaptive behaviors.
Purpose. This study aimed to determine the influence of group counseling using the CBT approach in reducing hedonistic behavior among students of SMK N 1 Koto Baru Dharmasraya. The research also sought to identify the specific aspects of hedonistic tendencies most affected by the intervention.
Method. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The sample consisted of 20 students identified with high levels of hedonistic behavior, divided equally into experimental and control groups. The intervention consisted of six CBT-based group counseling sessions over three weeks. A validated hedonism behavior scale was administered before and after the sessions. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and independent t-tests.
Results. The results showed a significant decrease in hedonistic behavior scores in the experimental group after the counseling sessions, while the control group showed no significant change. Aspects such as impulsive spending, dependence on peer approval, and time mismanagement were notably reduced among the participants who received the intervention.
Conclusion. Group counseling using the Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) approach is effective in reducing hedonistic behavior in vocational high school students. It is recommended that school counselors implement CBT-based group interventions as part of student guidance programs to promote self-control, delayed gratification, and responsible lifestyle choices.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Benatov, J. (2022). Moral injury, depression, and anxiety symptoms among health and social care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of belongingness. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68(5), 1026–1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221099421
Brady, W. J. (2023). Overperception of moral outrage in online social networks inflates beliefs about intergroup hostility. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(6), 917–927. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01582-0
Chen, M. (2022). Ordinary people as moral heroes and foes: Digital role model narratives propagate social norms in chinas social credit system. Aies 2022 Proceedings of the 2022 Aaai ACM Conference on AI Ethics and Society, Query date: 2025-08-03 21:14:28, 181–191. https://doi.org/10.1145/3514094.3534180
Feldmann, J. (2022). MORAL LICENSING AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW AND A RESEARCH AGENDA. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 11(1), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv11i1siart9
Fundinho, J. F. (2023). Moral intuitions, social skills and elder abuse: Exploring a social exchange hypothesis. Journal of Adult Protection, 25(4), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-01-2023-0001
Green, F. (2024). No new fossil fuel projects: The norm we need A social-moral norm against new fossil fuel projects has strong potential to contribute to achieving global climate goals. Science, 384(6699), 954–957. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn6533
Harwood-Gross, A. (2024). Moral Injury as a Social Phenomenon: Looking at the Unique Relationship with System Justification. Journal of Aggression Maltreatment and Trauma, 33(4), 472–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189044
Hatami, A. (2023). Moral laxity – the cognitive gap between true and pseudo corporate social responsibility. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 19(4), 526–549. https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-03-2021-0029
Huppert, E. (2023). On Being Honest About Dishonesty: The Social Costs of Taking Nuanced (but Realistic) Moral Stances. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(2), 259–283. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000340
Joyner, L. (2023). Moral leniency towards belief-consistent disinformation may help explain its spread on social media. Plos One, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281777
Latimer, A. (2022). Palliative and hospice social workers’ moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Palliative and Supportive Care, 29(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951522001341
Miranda-Rodríguez, R. A. (2023). Moral reasoning and moral competence as predictors of cooperative behavior in a social dilemma. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30314-7
Morris, D. S. M. (2022). Moral values, social ideologies and threat-based cognition: Implications for intergroup relations. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(Query date: 2025-08-03 21:14:28). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.869121
Pacilli, M. G. (2022). Moral virtue, victim blaming and helping intentions towards a rape victim. The role of victim’s personality from (past) media narrative to present social perception. Psicologia Sociale, 17(2), 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1482/104808
Pandya, N. (2023). Moral reasoning among children in India: The intersection of culture, development, and social class. Applied Developmental Science, 27(1), 48–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2021.2007770
Preniqi, V. (2024). MoralBERT: A Fine-Tuned Language Model for Capturing Moral Values in Social Discussions. Goodit 2024 Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good, Query date: 2025-08-03 21:14:28, 433–442. https://doi.org/10.1145/3677525.3678694
Puryear, C. (2024). Moral Panics on Social Media Are Fueled by Signals of Virality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 127(1), 84–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000379
Reamer, F. G. (2022). Moral Injury in Social Work: Responses, Prevention, and Advocacy. Families in Society, 103(3), 257–268. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894211051020
Rosenfeld, D. L. (2022). Moral Judgments of COVID-19 Social Distancing Violations: The Roles of Perceived Harm and Impurity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48(5), 766–781. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211025433
Sie, M. (2022). MORAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLICIT BIAS AND THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION. Oxford Handbook of Moral Responsibility, Query date: 2025-08-03 21:14:28, 668–696. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190679309.013.28
Valverde, R. C. (2022). Online musicking for humanity: The role of imagined listening and the moral economies of music sharing on social media. Popular Music, 41(2), 194–215. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261143022000034
Varma, A. (2023). Moral solidarity as a news value: Rendering marginalized communities and enduring social injustice newsworthy. Journalism, 24(9), 1880–1898. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849221094669
Youn, S. y. (2022). Negative spillover of moral irresponsibility into anti-brand behaviors: The role of moral emotion and disengagement in ethical and social transgressions. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 31(8), 1301–1317. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-12-2021-3785
Zerach, G. (2022). Moral Injury, PTSD, and Complex PTSD Among Israeli Health and Social Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Self-Criticism. Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy, 14(8), 1314–1323. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001210