Knowledge is necessary for self-regulation and behavior modification because

The answer to the blank space given is understanding current behaviors is vital to changing them.

The term self-regulation that is used in the question refers to a person’s ability to manage his or her emotions in a way that is appropriate with the situation that he or she faces.

Behavior modification is defined as a psychological approach in changing unwanted behaviors with more desirable ones through principles of operant conditioning, namely, positive and negative reinforcement.