AS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH TO EXPLAINING AND TREATING PHOBIAS

Question 1

Describe the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias

Answer 1

Mawrer (1960) put forward a two process model for phobias:

1) Phobia is acquired through CC; a neutral stimulus is associated with a UCS that produces a UCR or fear, e.g. Little Albert associating white rats with the loud clanging sound p, producing the fear response. This conditioning is then generalised to similar objects, e.g. Little Albert displayed distress at cotton balls and a fur coat.
2) Phobia is maintained through OC: phobias are negatively reinforced through avoidance; by not experiencing the anxiety they would’ve felt if faced with the phobic stimulus, they are -vely reinforced and thus are more likely to repeat that avoidance behaviour, so the phobia is maintained

Question 2

Evaluate the behaviourist approach to explaining phobias

Answer 2

(+) Led to dev of systematic desensitisation and flooding (treatments for phobias). These therapies are v effective, which suggests Mawrer’s 2 step model could be correct

(+) First explanation to suggest how phobias are maintained; more comprehensive than previous theories

(-) Not all phobias stem from a traumatic experience so not fully comprehensive

(-) Biological explanation may better explain some phobias e.g. snakes by suggesting an evolutionary benefit to phobias; may not be in order to reduce anxiety but to stay safe

Question 3

Describe systematic desensitisation

Answer 3

SD is based on CC and aims to slowly reduce anxiety surrounding phobic stimulus through gradual exposure. It uses counterconditioning to allow patient to form a new association; previously phobic stimulus is aimed to be associated with relaxation. It’s a 3 step process:

1) Patient and therapist construct hierarchy of fear by ranking scenarios from most anxiety-provoking to least anxiety-provoking
2) Patient is then taught relaxation techniques to use during the treatment. This works on the basis of reciprocal inhibition; the idea that you can’t feel two opposing emotions (fear and relaxation) at once
3) P&T work through hierarchy together, using the relaxation techniques learned in stage 2. Once the patient feels totally relaxed, they can progress to the next stage. If the patient then shows anxiety in this next stage, they must drop down to the previous one until they are calm again.

Question 4

Evaluate systematic desensitisation

Answer 4

(+) Gilroy et al (2003) studied arachnophobics who’d received SD at 3 months and 33 months after their treatment and measured anxiety levels. He compared this to a control group of arachnophobics who’d just been relaxed beforehand but hadn’t received SD. He found that at both 3 and 33 months after treatment, those who’d received SD were significantly less anxious than the control group when presented with a spider. Shows SD is effective
(+) SD is appropriate for a wide range of different patients; flooding and some cognitive therapies aren’t suitable for all patients e.g. those with learning difficulties
(+) SD is more pleasant than flooding so patients are more likely to engage well (and actually show up!)
(-) Flooding is more cost effective, i.e. SD is uneconomical compared to flooding

Question 5

Describe flooding as a treatment for phobias

Answer 5

Flooding works on the principle of extinction (when CS and UCS aren’t presented together after a while the association is broken). It exposes patients to extremely anxiety provoking situations and keeps them there until they eventually realise that they aren’t being harmed; which makes the phobia extinct. Here, the patient cannot show avoidance; they’re forced to experience the fear response until it eventually stops. Usually only one 2-3 hour session is needed.

Question 6

Evaluate flooding as a treatment for phobias

Answer 6

(+) More cost effective than SD

(-) Very traumatic experience so many patients refuse to complete the therapy, which can waste time and money

(-) Treatment can cause a lot of anxiety which can lead to serious negative consequences for the patient; Wolpe (1969) reported the case of a woman who received flooding therapy and had such high anxiety during the therapy that she was hospitalised; failure to protect from physical/ psychological harm

(-) Doesn’t really work for social phobias