4.1.4 - Phobias

Question 1

What are the 3 types of characteristics that are de to phobias

Answer 1

• behavioural characteristics
• emotional characteristics
• cognitive characteristics

Question 2

What are the behavioural characteristics that accompany phobias

Answer 2

Panic
- the presence of the phobic stimulus causes extreme panic
- panic is demonstrated through crying, screaming, running away etc..

Avoidance
- unless the sufferer is making a conscious effort to expose themselves to their fear, people will often go to a lot of effort to avoid coming into contact with their phobic stimulus
- this makes it difficult for them to undergo some simple everyday life tasks

Endurance
- when in the presence of the phobic stimulus, sufferers experience high levels of anxiety which makes it difficult to cope with everyday life as some stimuli are unavoidable.

Question 3

What are the emotional characteristics that accompany phobias

Answer 3

Anxiety
- phobias at classed as anxiety disorders
- this prevents the suffer from being able to relax and makes it difficult to experience positive emotions

Responses are unreasonable
- the emotional responses we experience in relation to phobic stimuli go beyond what is reasonable

Question 4

What are the cognitive characteristics that accompany phobias

Answer 4

Selective attention
- if a sufferer can see the phobic stimulus, it is hard to ignore it or look away
- this is because keeping attention on something dangerous helps us to react quickly however this isn’t useful if the fear is irrational and no response is needed

Irrational beliefs
- a phobic may hold irrational beliefs in the relationship to the phobic stimuli
- these beliefs lead to increased anxiety

Cognitive distortions
- the phonics perceptions of the phobic stimulus may be distorted, it leads to sufferers viewing specific items in a way that isnt seen by others

Question 5

What is used to explain the existence of phobias

Answer 5

2 process model (mowrer)

Question 6

What does the 2 process model use to explain the creation and maintenance of phobias

Answer 6

• Classical conditioning explains the creation of phobias
• operant conditioning explains the maintenance

Question 7

Describe how classical conditioning explains how phobias are acquired

Answer 7

An individual associates something that they originally don’t fear (NS) with something that already triggers a fear response (UCS):

Example of how a phobia of rats are created (little albert):
1) crash (UCS) -> fear (UCR). Rat (NS) -> no fear (UCR)
2) crash (UCS) + rat (NS) -> fear (UCR)
3) rat (CS) -> fear(CR)

Question 8

Describe how operant conditioning explains how phobias are maintained

Answer 8

• negative reinforcement strengthens the behaviour that avoids the phobic stimulus (negative stimulus)
• when avoiding the phobic stimulus, people are able to avoid the feelings of anxiety and fear
• avoidance is therefore strengthened, and due to this the phobia can become more severe

Question 9

Who carried out a case study to support the two process model

Answer 9

Bagby(1922)
- reported a case study of a woman who got her feet trapped in a waterfall and neared she would never escape

1) Water (NS) -> no response(UCR). Feet trapped(UCS) -> fear(UCR)
2) running water(NS) + feet trapped(UCS) -> fear(UCR)
3) water (CS) -> fear(CR)

She developed a fear of all forms of running water, which made it difficult for her to carry out everyday tasks

Question 10

Behaviourist approach for explaining phobias A03: reductionist

Answer 10

• the two process model is reductionist
• humans are not viewed as holistic because the cognitive aspects of developing and maintaining phobias
• eg: a traumatic experience can lead to an individual overthinking the situation which can cause a phobia to develop

Question 11

Behaviourist approach for explaining phobias A03: cannot explain all phobias

Answer 11

• not all phobias appear following a bad experience
• eg: the phobia of snakes is seen in many people that have no experience of them
• this doesn’t support the two process model as it is an incomplete explanation
• biological preparedness is when we acquire fears of things that would have put us in danger in the past, so some phobias could be genetic
• Bounton(2007) supported this and stated that evolutionary factors have an effect on phobias
• this theory is ignored by the two process model.

Question 12

Behaviourist approach for explaining phobias A03: real life application

Answer 12

• two process model has RLA because it explains many case studies and how their phobias were acquired and maintained.
• these case studies give the theory explanatory power

Question 13

What are the behavioural approaches to treating phobias

Answer 13

• systematic desensitisation
• flooding

Question 14

What is systematic desensitisation

Answer 14

• A behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning
• if the sufferer can learn to relaxin the presence of their phobic stimulus they will be cured.
• the learning of this different response is called counterconditioning
• this therapy works as individuals cannot feel both anxious and relaxed at the same time, because one emotion inhibits the other
• this is known as reciprocal inhibition

Question 15

What are the processes involved in systematic desensitisation

Answer 15

1) the anxiety hierarchy
2) relaxation
3) exposure

Question 16

What is the anxiety hierarchy (sd)

Answer 16

A list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranges in order of most to least frightening

Question 17

What is the relaxation process (sd)

Answer 17

• the therapist teased the patient to relax as deeply as possible
• this could involve breathing exercises or mental imagery techniques
• patients could be taught to imagine themselves in relaxing situations, or may learn mediation
• alternatively, relaxation can be achieved by using drugs

Question 18

What is the process of exposure (sd)

Answer 18

• the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state
• this takes place across several sessions, starting at the bottom of the hierarchy and working their way upwards once the patient stays calm in the less every scenarios
• treatment is classed as successful once the patient can stay calm at all situations on the anxiety hierarchy

Question 19

Systematic desensitisation A03: research evidence

Answer 19

Gilroy et al (2003)
- followed up 42 patients who had been treated for a spider phobia in 3 45 minute sessions
- a control group was treated by relaxation without exposure
- at both 3 months and 33 months after treatment, the s.d group were less fearful than the just relaxation group
- this is a strength- shows SD as more effective and long lasting treatment is provided

Question 20

Systematic desensitisation A03: suitable for diverse range of patients

Answer 20

• the alternatives to SD are not always well suited for all patients ( flooding & cognitive therapies)
• patients with anxiety disorders like phobias commonly have learning difficulties also
• learning difficulties can make it difficult for patients to understand what is going on during flooding, or struggle to engage in cognitive therapies as they require the ability to reflect and articulate what they are thinking
• for these types of patients SD is usually the most appropriate and effective method

Question 21

Systematic desensitisation A03: can not be used for observable and measurable symptoms

Answer 21

• SD only teaches patients how to manage the behaviour that that is displayed in a response to phobic stimuli
• this is a limitation because the underlying cause (cognition) isn’t treated, just the symptoms
• cognition and emotion cab often be motivators of behaviour, so the fear could still be present but basked by the coping mechanisms

Question 22

What is flooding

Answer 22

Involves exposing phobic patients t their phobic stimuli without a gradual build up. Instead flooding involved immediate exposure to a very frightening stimuli(phobic stimulus)

• flooding sessions are typically longer that SD sessions, one session commonly lasts 2/3 hours
• sometimes only one session is needed to cure the patients phobia

Question 23

How does flooding work

Answer 23

• flooding stops phobic responses vey quickly, this may be because without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns hat the phobic stimulus is harmless
• in some cases the patient may achieve relaxation in the presence of the phobic stimulus simple because the become exhausted by their own fear response.

Question 24

Why does flooding have strict ethical safeguarding

Answer 24

• flooding is an unpleasant experience, so its important that patients are able to give fully informed consent so that the are fully prepared for the potential trauma

Question 25

Flooding A03: very cost effective

Answer 25

• Ougrin(2011): carried out studies showing that flooding is at least, if not more effective that other cognitive therapies
• flooding is highly effective and is quicker as it is cured in as little as 1 session
• being quick is a strength because it means that patients are free of their symptoms quickly and therefore only have to pay for 1 session, so is very cheap

Question 26

Flooding A03: not always cost effective for all phobias

Answer 26

• flooding is effective for treating simple phobias, however isn’t as effective for complex phobias such as social phobias
• this could be because complex phobias involve cognitive aspects so flooding doesn’t tackle these factors that accompany the phobias
• this is a limitation because flooding cannot be used for all people

Question 27

Flooding A03: trauma can be created

Answer 27

• flooding is a highly traumatic experience, so some patients are unwilling to see the treatment to the end
• this is a limitation because time and money are lost and sometimes wasted
• unfinished treatment could also lead to an increase in the severity of the phobia