Behaviourist Intervention/treatment Flashcards
what does the behaviourist approach suggest should be used to treat addiction
classical conditioning to associate the disorder with disgust and unpleasant sensations
what are the 2 types of behaviourist intervention therapies
aversion therapy
covert sensitisation
how is aversion therapy a form of classical conditioning
it is a physical form of classical conditioning where a behaviour normally associated with pleasure, is now associated with pleasure, is now associated with disgust/pain
what is the name of the aversive therapy drug given to an alcoholic
antabuse
How does the aversive drug, antabuse work
when alcohol is consumed antabuse causes vomiting and nausea, they then associate this with their addiction (alcohol) which therefore will reduce addiction overtime
what are aversive methods to reduce gambling addiction
-electric shocks
-covert sensitisation
how do electric shocks work to reduce gambling addiction
A gambler is given electric shocks when they engage in addiction, associating pain w/addiction, reduces addiction overtime
how does covert sensitisation work to reduce gambling addiction
p.t encouraged to imagine the unpleasant symptom after imagining their addictive behaviour, p.t then associate overtime w/o experiencing physical symptoms
FILL THE GAP
covert sensitisation is an ___ form of aversion therapy
covert sensitisation is an IMAGINARY form of aversion therapy
how does covert sensitisation works to reduce nicotine addiction
client relaxes and imagines they are smoking, then immediately visualises being sick/nauseous –> this encourages to draw negative associations with smoking to extinguish behaviour
TRUE or FALSE: the more vivid the imagery the more effective the therapy is
TRUE
vividness increases effectiveness
what is a strength of the behaviourist intervention of addiction
P: a strength of covert sensitization is that its a more ethical treatment compared to traditional aversion therapy
E: aversion therapy causes physical unpleasant stimuli e.g electric shocks, whereas covert sensitization relies on visuals to create aversion
E: patients don’t experience direct physical harm, reducing risk of distress/discontinuation of treatment, therefore treatment is more likely to be accepted, increasing real world applicability and potential long term success
L: Covert sensitisation is a more ethical and appropriate intervention for addiction
what is a limitation of the behaviourist approach
P: an issues with these method is its reliance on p.ts involvement for success
E: e.g p.ts must be motivated for it to work as studies show p.t with high motivation levels have better outcomes in psychotherapy
E: the necessity for active engagement means it lacks appropriateness and therefore drug treatments may be a better option
L: therefore, while it can be effective, its entirely dependant on patients motivation
