Behavioural approach to phobias

Behavioural model
Outline
Behavioural explanations consist of two types of conditioning

Classical conditioning: phobias occur through association of traumatic events with a negative
fear and anxiety with neutral stimuli. Phobias occur due to the avoidance of certain objects
or situations.

Operant conditioning explains how phobias are maintained. When the phobic…

Kendler et al (1992) interviewed 722 female twins with a lifetime history of phobia. They
found that MZ twins had significantly lower concordance rates for agoraphobia than DZ
twins, which runs counter to genetic hypothesis.

Researcher suggested that this finding might reflect a protective effect of close emotional
bond between…

However, the advantage of being a reductionist theory is that it makes researches falsifiable.
Therefore we are able to generate solid findings for further research.

Nature vs. Nurture: overemphasises the importance of nurture and completely ignores the
role of nature. This ignores ideas like genetic and evolutionary explanations that explains…