Psychopathology - Phobias

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Define phobia
An irrational fear of an object or situation
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Define behavioural
Ways in which people act
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Define emotional
Ways in which people feel
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Define cognitive
Refers to the process of thinking - knowing, perceiving, believing
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Give three examples of behavioural characteristics of phobias
Panic; Avoidance; Endurance
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Explain the behavioural characteristic panic
A phobic person may panic in response to the presence of the phobic stimulus. This may include crying, screaming or running away. In children this may include freezing, clinging or tantrums
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Explain the behavioural characteristic avoidance
Often go to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus. This can make it hard to go about daily life.
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Explain the behavioural characteristic endurance
A sufferer remains in the presence of the phobic stimulus but continues to experience high levels of anxiety.
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Give two examples of emotional characteristics of phobias
Anxiety; Emotional responses are unreasonable
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Explain the emotional characteristic anxiety
Phobias are classed as anxiety disorders, therefore they then involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear
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What is anxiety
An unpleasant state of high arousal, preventing the sufferer from relaxing and making it difficult to experience positive emotions
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Explain the emotional characteristic unreasonable emotional responses
Peoples strong emotional responses to phobic stimuli which are often harmless is wildly disproportionate to the danger posed
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Give three examples of cognitive characteristics of phobias
Selective attention to the phobic stimulus; Irrational beliefs; Cognitive distortions
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Explain the cognitive characteristic selective attention to the phobic stimulus
The sufferer has difficulty looking away from a phobic stimulus once seeing it. Paying attention to something dangerous is good as it gives us the best chance of a fast reaction to a threat, however is useless when the fear is irrational
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Explain the cognitive characteristic irrational beliefs
A phobic may hold irrational beliefs in relation to phobic stimuli
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Explain the cognitive characteristic cognitive distortions
The phobic's perceptions of the phobic stimulus may be distorted
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Define behavioural approach
A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning
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Define classical conditioning
Learning by association. When two stimuli are repeatedly paired together - an unconditioned stimulus and a new neutral stimulus. The neutral stimulus eventually produces the same response that was first produced by the unconditioned stimulus alone
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Define operant conditioning
A form of learning in which behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. Possible consequences of behaviour include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment
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Who proposed the two process model?
Mowrer
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What does the two process model state?
Phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and then continue because of operant conditioning
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What did Watson and Rayner do?
Created a phobia of white rat in a 9-month-old baby called Little Albert
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What was the aim of this study?
To see whether phobias can be taught/learned
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What was the procedure?
Whenever the rat was presented to Albert they made a loud frightening noise by banging an iron bar close to Albert's ear.
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What was the noise?
The unconditioned stimulus
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What did the noise create?
Unconditioned response
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What was the rat?
Neutral stimulus
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What were the findings?
Albert became frightened when he saw a rat as it is now a conditioned stimulus that produces a conditioned response.
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What happened to Albert's phobia?
It generalised to similar objects, and Albert was scared of things like rabbits and clouds
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Why are phobias often long lasting?
Operant conditioning occurs when an individual avoids a phobic stimulus and successfully escapes the fear and anxiety of the situation. The reduction in fear reinforces the avoidance behaviour so the phobia is maintained
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Point 1
The two process model has good explanatory power .
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Evidence 1
because it goes beyond Watson and Rayner's concept of classical conditioning
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Explain 1
It explained how phobias are maintained over time, which had important implications for therapies because it explains why patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus
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Link 1
This theory is a strength because it has been able to be applied to successful therapy
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Point 2
Not all avoidance behaviour is associated with phobias seems to be the result of anxiety reduction (at least in more complex phobias)
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Evidence 2
There is evidence to suggest that at least some avoidance behaviour appears to be motivated more by positive feelings of safety
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Explain 2
The motivating factor in choosing an action is not so much to avoid the phobic stimulus but to stick with the safety factor.
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Link 2
This is a weakness for the two process model as it suggests that avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction, and this evidence counteracts that
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Point 3
There are some aspects of phobic behaviour that require further explaining
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Evidence 3
Bounton pointed out that evolutionary factors probably have an important role in phobias but the two-factor theory does not mention this
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Explain 3
We easily acquire phobias of things that have been a source of danger in our evolutionary past. We have an innate predisposition to acquire certain fears
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Link 3
This is a weakness because it shows that there is more to acquiring phobias than simple conditioning
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Define systematic desensitisation
A behavioural therapy designed to reduce an unwanted response to a stimulus. SD involves drawing up a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations related to the phobic stimulus, teaching the patient to relax, and then exposing them to phobic situations
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Define flooding
A behavioural therapy in which a phobic patient is exposed to an extreme form of a phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by that stimulus. This takes place across a small number of long therapy sessions
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What are the three processes involved in SD?
The anxiety hierarchy; Relaxation; Exposure
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Explain the anxiety hierarchy
A list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged in order from least to most frightening
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Explain relaxation
The therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible
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Explain exposure
The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state. Treatment is successful when the patient can stay relaxed in situations high on the anxiety hierarchy
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How does flooding work?
Without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless - this is called extinction
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Why might flooding be seen as unethical?
It is an unpleasant experience so it is important that patients give fully informed consent to this traumatic procedure
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Point 1
Research shows that systematic desensitisation is effective in the treatment of specific phobias
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Evidence 1
Gilroy et al followed up 42 patients who had SD for arachnophobia for three 45 minute sessions
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Explain 1
Both 3 and 33 months later the SD group was less fearful than the control group who did not have exposure
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Link 1
This is a strength for SD because it shows that it is helpful in reducing anxiety and that the effects are long lasting
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Point 2
SD is suitable for a diverse range of patients
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Evidence 2
Sufferers with anxiety disorders like phobias often have learning difficulties
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Explain 2
Meaning that they find it hard to understand what is happening during flooding
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Link 2
This makes systematic desensitisation a strength as it is the most appropriate treatment for many patients
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Point 3
Patients often prefer SD
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Evidence 3
When given the choice of flooding and SD, patients almost always choose SD
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Explain 3
This is largely because it does not cause the same degree of trauma as flooding
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Link 3
This is a strength for SD as it can help to treat a lot of peoples phobias as they are more willing to go through with the treatment
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Point 1
Flooding is at least as effective as other treatments for specific phobias
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Evidence 1
Ougrin compared flooding to alternative cognitive therapies
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Evaluation 1
The study found that flooding is highly effective and quicker than alternatives
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Link 1
This is a strength because it means patients are free of their symptoms sooner which makes their treatment cheaper
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Point 2
Flooding is less effective for treating more complex phobias
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Evidence 2
Not as many patients benefit from flooding if they have a complex phobia e.g. social phobia
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Explain 2
This may be because social phobias have cognitive aspects
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Link 2
This is a weakness as it shows how flooding cannot be used for all phobias
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Point 3
Flooding is a very traumatic experience
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Evidence 3
Many patients are unwilling to see it through to the end
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Explain 3
Although it is not unethical as patients give consent, it is still a very unpleasant experience
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Link 3
This is a weakness of flooding because time and money are sometimes wasted
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Define behavioural

Back

Ways in which people act

Card 3

Front

Define emotional

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Define cognitive

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Give three examples of behavioural characteristics of phobias

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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