behavioural approach to treatig phobias; flooding

Question 1

Summarise flooding in one sentence

Answer 1

Immediate exposure to a very frightening situation ; experiencing the phobic stimulus at its worst

Question 2

How does flooding treat phobias

Answer 2

The patient is taught relaxation techniques. Then they are exposed to the phobic stimulus and practise relaxation techniques without the option of avoidance. eventually they are forced to realise that the stimulus is harmless and so they experience extinction: the association is lost. the CS no longer produces the CR.

Question 3

what is a strength of flooding

Answer 3

it is effective and fast, Choy et al found that it is more effective than SD. Fastness = cheaper option

Question 4

what is a limitation of flooding

Answer 4

it is traumatic, and so many patients quit during treatment. this decreases the overall effectiveness of it and is a waste of time and money

Question 5

what is a limitation of flooding & an example of why

Answer 5

symptom substitution: this therapy removes the symptoms of the phobia but not the cause. therefore, the causes may resurface in another form .
phobias=projection . Little Hans example: the boy’s problem was an intense envy of his father but he could not express this directly and so his anxiety was projected onto the horse . the phobia was cured when he addressed with problems with his father . just treating the horse phobia would have left the underlying problem