Treatment of phobias

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  • Created by: 11pyoung
  • Created on: 21-04-17 13:16
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  • Treatment of phobias
    • Phobias are acquired through the process of learning. to threat the problem a person needs to simply 'unlearn' the phobic response through 'deconditioning'
      • Two different treatment styles
        • Exposure treatment
          • Based on classical conditioning
        • Modelling
          • Based on SLT
    • Exposure treatment
      • Systematic desensitisation
        • Exposure treatment based on the idea that you cannot be anxious and fearful at the same time as being relaxed
          • If a phobic person learns to relax when faced with an object that they are phobic of their responses of fear becomes unlearned
            • Done in a systematic way whereby the person gradually faces the object of their phobia in a controlled way via a hierarchy of exposure
            • Desensitisation is brought about by applying newly learned relaxation techniques to situations where they face the object of their phobia
              • Done gradually at the person's own pace
        • 4 processes that have to take place in systematic desensitisation, between the therapist and the phobic person
          • Functional analysis
            • First
            • The therapist and client identify what causes or triggers the clients anxiety/fear
          • An anxiety hierarchy is produced with the client whereby they express the least fearful thing they are able to cope with at the bottom and the most fearful at the top
            • Second
            • Hierarchy levels can either be in vivo (real object) or in vitro (imagined object)
          • Relaxation training
            • Third
            • The client is taught relaxation techniques that they will use to replace their fear response
          • Gradual exposure
            • Last
            • The client is gradually exposed to the object of their phobia starting with the lowest point on the anxiety hierarchy.
              • During each exposure on the hierarchy the client is encouraged to relax thereby replacing their usual fear response
        • Evaluation
          • Positive
            • Systematic desensitisation has been found to be an effective treatment for phobias
              • A study found that 75% of clients responded to the treatment
            • Treatment is appropriate for a number of reasons
              • Requires less time and effort than other theories
              • Can be delivered by computer simulations in some cases
              • No ethical issues as the treatment is taken at the clients pace
                • There are no excessive levels of anxiety caused
              • Once learned the relaxation techniques can be used in other areas
          • Negative
            • It is only appropriate where specific phobias are identified rather than general anxiety disorders
            • Less effective at dealing with phobias that have an underlying survival component
            • It can still be time consuming and because it requires 1-to-1 treatment it can be expensive too
    • Modelling
      • Based on SLT and its aim is to treat phobias through vicarious reinforcement
      • The principle behind this treat is hat , because the phobia is learned through vicarious reinforcement in the past, it can be in-learned in the same way
        • Repeatedly seeing the client's models respond to the phobic object in a positive way will eventually result in the client learning this new response to the object
      • Evaluation
        • Involves the use of role models and therefore, most effective on children
        • Untitled
    • Flooding
      • Phobic person physically placed in a situation with their feared object/ situation for a prolonged period of time
        • No means to remove themselves rom the situation
        • Through continued exposure to the phobic object, the client will see it as less fear-producing
          • The feared stimulus must be presented quickly on a continuous cycle and when escape is impossible
      • Key to flooding is rapid exposure to the feared object and situation rather than more spaced presentations
        • The person becomes too tired for the conditioned stimulus to occur
          • Presents avoidance responses from developing
      • Evaluation
        • Faster than other therapies as it not taken at a gentle pace
        • Can be as effective as systematic desensitisation
        • Therapy runs the risk of increasing the conditioned response to the feared object/ situation rather than extinguishing it
        • It is questionable whether flooding is an ethical treatment for people with phobias
          • Consent needed
          • Causing psychological harm

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