3. The behaviourist explanation of mental illness Flashcards
How does the behaviourist perspective view behaviour?
Tabular Rosa’ we are all born a blank slate and ALL Behaviour is learnt
Operant Conditioning - Skinner (5)
- The consequences of a behaviour determine whether it is repeated
- It works on the assumption of learning through reward and punishment.
- This explains why behaviour occurs.
- The likelihood of a behaviour continuing is increased if the outcome is rewarding. positive reinforcement – people who produce an emotional reaction to an object often receive attention – this can act as a positive reinforcer
- The avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety and fear thus reinforces the behaviour. This is an example of negative reinforcement (escaping an unpleasant situation).
Outline how the behaviourist approach could be used to explain mental illness (5 marks) (model answer)
The behavioural explanation of mental illness would suggest that we learn ‘dysfunctional/abnormal ’ behaviours from our environment., this is particularly useful when explaining the mental illness of phobias. Phobias are anxiety disorders that create a marked and persistent fear about an object or situation e.g. flying. These can be learnt in a similar way to any other behaviours through a process of either operant conditioning e.g. positive/negative reinforcement or classical conditioning.
Classical conditioning is learning by association. Watson and Raynor demonstrated how phobias can be acquired through classical conditioning. They carried out a study on an 11 month old boy whose automatic response to hearing a steel bar hit with a hammer was to cry. They associated this reaction with a white rat so every time the rat was presented to the child a steel bar was also hit and the resulting factors was that the child cried. Once the steel bar noise was removed the child responded to the rat in the same way - crying. They had installed a fear in a previously unfeared object.
This can be used to explain how phobias can be acquired in real life for example a fear of water could have been from falling into water at a young age not being able to swim and nearly drowning and associating that sense of panic when near water again. This explanation therefore suggests that mental illness can be acquired/learnt from the environment we are brought up in and the experiences we have.
Evaluation of Behaviourism - Strengths with debates (3)
Nature/nurture – this is linked to the nurture debate and how the environment has created the phobia. Allows for treatments to be developed – if we can learn it we can unlearn it
Holism - If we consider both classical conditioning and operant conditioning together to explain how the phobia came about and how it is maintained then it might not be considered as reductionist as some explanations.
Useful – the explanation is useful, because it is reductionist it assumes that we have the phobia by learning it, therefore we can unlearn it. This has practical applications and has led to treatments such as flooding and systematic desensitization.
Evaluation of Behaviourism - Weaknesses with debates (5)
Nature - However it cannot solely be nurture because not everyone who has encountered something that has created fear goes on to develop a phobia. The diathesis stress model can be used here – we might have a genetic predisposition to have phobias but we need an environmental trigger to activate it (interaction between the two)
Reductionism – only looks at the association or the avoidance, doesn’t look at other explanations such as genetics or evolutionary explanations.
There is research to show that phobias can be inherited from our parents so therefore there is more than one explanation – estimated that 65% of relatives share a phobia.
Situation –ignores the fact that individual differences occur. This doesn’t take into account unusual phobias such as fear of buttons, these must be linked to individual differences – perhaps a higher activated nervous system that makes these individuals more prone to phobias than others
Ethics - Protection of participants was clearly an ethical issue in the Albert study, which the researchers acknowledged but felt was justifiable because children experience fearful situations in daily life.
Usefulness - Although symptoms may reduce the root cause of the phobia may not be addressed. Other forms of therapy such as psychoanalysis may be more appropriate for dealing with underlying issues.
Watson & Rayner: Little Albert (1920) (6)
- Case study to show that phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning.
- Little Albert was an 11 month old infant.
- He initially showed no fear towards a white rat (NS) until it was presented along with a loud noise (UCS) which caused a fear response of crying (UCR)
- After presenting the two together several times, just the sight of the white rat (CS) would trigger the fear response (CR).
- The phobia lasted over time and was transferred to other furry objects such as a rabbit or teddy bear.
- Watson & Rayner believes this demonstrates the process by which phobias may be learnt from the environment.
Watson & Rayner - Strengths (4)
- Upholds the ethical guideline of confidentiality as Albert not real name.
- Nurture side of the debate as phobias can be learnt. Useful for expanding knowledge and understanding of our influence.
- Longitudinal study so can see the effects over time, shows how phobias are persistent but may fade.
- Behaviourism is a scientific approach as it is objective - it focuses only on observable
Watson & Rayner - Weaknesses (4)
- Only looks at one boy so low population validity, cannot be generalised as age may be an affecting factor for phobias.
- Breaks ethics of protection from harm, left Little Albert with fear of furry objects, can cause lots of stress growing up.
- Lacks ecological validity as the NS is not usually associated with loud noise.
- Deterministic as phobia is controlled by the conditioning of the environment
