formation + treatments for phobias

describe simply behaviourist ideas of how we develop phobias

Behaviour (including phobias) is learnt through the environment/ experience

what is the 2 process model mower

Step 1

phobia is acquired through classical conditioning

At first the phobic object is a neutral stimulus and cause a neutral response ( no response)

Then a conditioned stimulus eg pain produces an unconditioned fear response. Unconditioned stimulus response links are not learnt they are automatic

An association is formed when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. The phobic object becomes a conditioned stimulus with a conditioned response

phobias can be generalised so a conditioned fear response may also be experienced with things similar to the phobic object eg fear of bees may create a phobic response to other flying animals.

Step 2

Maintained

operant conditioning is a form of learning that occurs through learning through consequences

A person with a phobia is aware of it and will try to avoid there phobia.

Avoiding the phobia leads to a reduction in anxiety which is a pleasant sensation. This reinforment strengthens the phobia making a person more likely to avoid it in the future

2 methods for treating phobias

systematic desensitization

flooding

systematic desensitisation

Therapist teaches the client relaxation techniques eg breathing exercises

The client creates an anxiety hierarchy a list of feared situations with the phobic object from the least to the most.

The client is exposed to each level of the hierarchy they slowly work there way up. Only moving up to the next level when there fully relaxed.

The last stage is also holding the phobic object. When they can do this without fear the old association is extinct and a new one of relaxation is formed

Flooding

attempts to counter the a conditioned phobia by immediately to full exposure (the maximum on the hierarchy.

Its expected to cause panic and distress often people will cry and scream.

fear response needs energy eventually they will run out and clam down

If its ended before this then they wont get other the fear and it will be reinforced.

what is a strength of SD is high success rates

P=One strength of systematic desensitisation comes from research evidence which demonstrates the effectiveness of this treatment for phobias. E=for example McGrath et al. (1990) found that 75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated using systematic desensitisation.

L= This shows that systematic desensitisation is effective in treating phobias

another strength is the research evidence SD

P=Further support comes from Gilroy et al. (2002) who examined 42 patients with arachnophobia (fear of spiders).

E=Each patient was treated using three 45-minute systematic desensitisation sessions. When examine three months and 33 months later, the systematic desensitisation group were less fearful than a control group (who were only taught relaxation techniques).

L=This provides further support for systematic desensitisation, as a long-term treatment for phobias

What a limitation of SD

P=Systematic desensitisation is not effective in treating all phobias.

E=Patients with phobias which have not developed through a personal experience (classical conditioning) but rather believed to be the result of evolution cant be treated by SD.

E=for example, a fear of heights, are not effectively treated using systematic desensitisation.

L=These phobias highlight a limitation of systematic desensitisation which is ineffective in treating evolutionary phobias.

what’s a strength of flooding

P=One strength of flooding is it provides a cost effective treatment for phobias. E=Research has suggested that flooding is comparable to other treatments, including systematic desensitisation and cognition therapies (Ougrin, 2011), however it is significantly quickly.

L= This is a strength because patients are treated quicker and it is more cost effective for health service providers.

One limitation is it goes straight to the top of the anxiety hierarchy

p=Flooding is highly traumatic for patients and causes a high level of anxiety.

e= Although patients provide informed consent, many do not complete their treatment because the experience is too stressful.

l= therefore flooding is sometimes a waste of time and money, if patients do not finish their therapy.

it cant treat all phobias F

p=Although flooding is highly effective for simple (specific) phobias, the treatment is less effective for other types of phobia, E=for example social phobia and agoraphobia. Some psychologists suggest that social phobias are caused by irrational thinking and are not caused by learning through classical conditioning.

e/l=Therefore, more complex phobias cannot be treated by behaviourist treatments and may be more responsive to other forms of treatment, for example cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which treats the irrational thinking.