BA to Treating Phobias

Question 1

What are two treatments for phobias?

Answer 1

• systematic desensitisation
• flooding

Question 2

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 2

A behavioural therapy designed to gradually relax the phobic anxiety through classical conditioning where if a person can relax in front of the phobic stimulus they’ll be cured- basically learning a different response (counter conditioning)

Question 3

What are the three processes involved in Systematic desensitisation?

Answer 3

• The anxiety Hierarchy: put together with client and therapist this is a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety and rating in order from least to most frightening
• Relaxation: teaches client to relax as deeply as possible as it’s impossible to be afraid and relaxed this is called reciprocal inhibition
• Exposure: while in relaxed state they are exposed this is across many sessions starting at bottom of hierarchy then ending up relaxed at top

Question 4

What is flooding?

Answer 4

Flooding is immediate exposure to the phobia in a frightening situation, with no gradual build up

Question 5

How does flooding work and what are the problems with it?

Answer 5

Flooding stops phobic responses very quickly as there is no avoidance behaviour and they quickly learn the phobic stimulus is harmless, in CC terms this is called extinction a learned response is extinguished when conditioned stimulus (dog) is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus (being bitten) producing no conditioned response (fear). Flooding is not unethical but unpleasant and clients must give fully informed consent to the traumatic procedure

Question 6

What are the brief evaluations of SD

Answer 6

• Evidence of effectiveness
• Help people with learning disabilities

Question 7

What are the brief evaluations of flooding?

Answer 7

• Cost effective
• Traumatic