Phobias

What is a phobia?

An irrational fear of a specific object or situation

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What is an emotional characteristic?

The way people (phobic) feel (about a phobic stimulus) e.g.fear, panic or anxiety

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What is a behavioural characteristic?

the way people act e.g. the phobic avoiding the phobic stimulus

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What is a cognitive characteristic?

the way people think/ process information e.g. irrational thinking about the phobic stimulus

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what is an obsession?

intrusive, recreant thoughts e.g. obsession with germs

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what is a compulsion?

repetitive behaviours to reduce anxiety e.g. repeatedly washing hands (OCD)

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what is the behavioural approach to explaining phobias?

Mowre’s two process model is based on Classical Conditioning (association) -> acquisition of phobia and Operant Conditioning (reinforcement)-> maintenance of phobia

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how does classical conditioning explain phobias

1.) The dog (NS) doesn’t produce any fear response. 2.) The UCS (biting) is associated with fear/ phobia/ anxiety. 3.) The NS when combined with the UCS becomes a CS.

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how does operant conditioning explain phobias

when a phobic avoids a phobic stimulus, they escape the anxiety that would have been experienced this reduction in fear negatively reinforces the avoidance behaviours and the phobia is maintained

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Evaluation of the two process model (+)

+ There is research evidence supporting the two-process model. For example, Watson and Rayner carried out the little albert experiment which showed that phobias can be learnt via classical conditioning

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Evaluation of the two process model (-)

The two-process model is an incomplete explanation; If a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a fearful experience the result should be a phobia, but this doesn’t always happen

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what is the behavioural approach to treating phobias

use systematic desensitisation or flooding (both based on classical conditioning)

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what is systematic desensitisation?

gradually exposing someone to a phobic stimulus under relaxed conditions

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what is involved in systematic desensitisation?

1.) relaxation training 2.) anxiety hierarchy (Situations are ranked from least to most fearful.) 3.) gradually work through the hierarchy 4.) exposure too phobic stimulus

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what is flooding?

exposing someone in an extreme form of the phobic stimulus. (involves relaxation techniques)

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what is involved in flooding?

1. Patient is taught how to relax their muscles completely 2. Patient exposed to their most feared stimulus (2-3 hours) 3. Patients fear response (adrenaline release) eventually fades away 4. As adrenaline levels decrease, a new stimulus- response li

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differences between flooding and systematic desensitisation?

SD takes 6 sessions whereas flooding takes only one -> flooding is better and cheaper than SD, SD is gradual whereas flooding is full exposure -> SD is more appropriate for kids whereas flooding isn’t

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similarities between flooding and systematic desensitisation?

Both treatments treat symptoms but they don’t address the underlying cause of the Phobia, both have good success rates

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evaluation of these treatments? (+)

SD is effective = Gilroy et al. – patients treated for arachnophobia for three 45-mins sessions and were assessed on several measures to response of a spider.

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evaluation of these treatments? (-)

treat the symptoms but enable to treat the cause = spontaneous recovery

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evaluation of these treatments? (-)

However, a serious issue with the use of flooding is that patients find it very traumatic. The problem is not that flooding is unethical but that patients (+ children!) are often unwilling to see it through till the end

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Phobias

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