Phobias

Emotional - 

-Feelings of panic or anxiety when in presence of or anticipation of meeting the feared objects

-Immediate fear response or a panic attack cued by a specific object or situation.

Cognitive - 

-Irrational thoughts - believe you are in danger when you are not

-Resistance to logic - facts do not convince you 

-Self-awareness - You realise that you are being irrational.

-Cognitive distortion - seeing things as they are not

Behavioural -

-Avoidance 

-Freezing 

-Fainting due to loss of blood pressure.

-Fight-or-flight response - a big adrenaline surge, raised heart rate, nauseau, breathing trouble.

A behavioural therapy for treating anxiety disorders in which the sufferer learns relaxation techniques then faces a progressive hierarchy of exposure to the objects and situations that cause anxiety. Developed by Wolpe in 1958 and is the main behaviourist treatment for phobias.

Over many sessions the therapist and client meet and work through the therapy. However, it requires commitment and determination, so there is often a high dropout rate.

-The client is taught progressive relaxation techniques, for example working round and relaxing muscle groups one by one.

-The client and therapist construct a hierarchy of fears, from the least to most feared representation of the object/situation. 

-The client is then asked to imagine these representations.

-The client starts with the least feared representation and uses the relaxation techniques to calm distress.

-The client moves up the hierarchy, relaxing at each stage, until they face the most feared representation successfully. 

The client is taught progressive relaxation techniques until they become successful.

The client is then faceed with their most feared situation with their therapist over and over in one long session until they learn to lower their panic and relax.

-Method is cheaper and quicker than systematic desensitisation.

-Wolpe (1960) once drove a girl with a fear of cars around for four hours until her panic was eradicated. 

-Craske et al. (2008) reviewed several studies that tested the effectiveness of both flooding and SD and found little difference. Therefore, in a cost-benefit analysis, flooding would be chosen.

-It can be seen as quite unethical, even with consent, as it could be badly tolerated. If the client drops out before the fear is eradicated, it could actually make them worse.

A fellow student has described feeling irrational fear when in the presence of spiders. Despite telling himself that they are harmless and knowing that he is being irrational, he is unable to stop the fear. He sees spiders as hideous and dangerous even when they are not. Which characteristics of phobias is he describing?

-Cognitive characteristics