flooding

what is flooding?

involves immediate exposure to a very frightening situation

what is the effect of flooding?

removed option of avoidance behaviour so patient learns phobic stimulus is harmless

what is extinction?

where a learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus is is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus

• results in conditioned stimulus no longer producing the conditioned response

what are the strength and weakness of flooding?

strength:

• cost effective

weaknesses:

• less effective for some types of phobia

• treatment is traumatic

cost effective

• studies comparing flooding to cognitive therapies found flooding is quicker than alternatives

• means patients are free from symptoms as soon as possible

• makes treatment cheaper

less effective for some types of phobia

• less effective for complex phobias like social phobias

• they have cognitive aspects

• e.g someone with social phobias also thinks unpleasant thoughts about social situation

• they might benefit more from cognitive therapies as tackle irrational thinking

treatment is traumatic for patients

• patients are usually unwilling to do the full session

• as they are highly uncomfortable

• time and money can be wasted

• so may not be effective