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For me at least, not speaking for anyone else, I have had moderate behavior problems that were solved by an understanding of the consequences of the behaviors. 

The above is not absolute. In some instances, I changed how I behaved because I gained the insight that what I was doing was wrong. In other instances, I experienced negative consequences and I realized that if I continued, I would have worse consequences. 

Definition of Insanity: "Doing the same thing and expecting different results." A widely thrown-about truism--even a cliché. In some instances, this is not applicable. If you want to be a writer or an actor, or if you want to pursue anything that's hard, you need to persist, even to the point of apparent senselessness. However, the above saying is more applicable to "negative" and detrimental behaviors. 

For example, now I am struggling with confronting my tobacco smoking addiction. I am at a point where I have no acceptable way of smoking cigarettes. I am not at able to give you the details. However, the incentive is big enough that, so far, I've been able to cut my consumption of cigarettes by half. 

If you give someone a big enough incentive to change what they are doing, it is more likely they will change what they are doing. The prerequisite is that the person's thinking must have a good enough level of clarity. I haven't always had this clarity. Compliance with treatment, cognitive techniques, and a lot of deep thought have furnished me with more clarity than I once didn't have. When I gain the insight that a behavior doesn't work, it is the first step toward addressing that behavior.