BEHAVIOURIST Therapy - Systematic Desensitisation

Question 1

Systematic Desensitisation

Answer 1

Developed by Wople (1958)
Used in the treatment of phobias
Belief that if a person is exposed to the thing that they are scared of, they may learn that the thing is not so fearful after all and over time the phobia will be unlearned

Question 2

What is the aim of SD

Answer 2

Aims to extinguish a phobia by eradicating an undesirable behaviour (fear) and replacing it with a more desirable one (relaxation)

Question 3

How does SD link to the assumptions?

Answer 3

All behaviour is learnt from the environment
Can unlearn conditioned responses by manipulating the environment
Stimuli which have been previously associated with dear are conditioned through therapy to be associated with relaxation
Relaxation learnt in response to one set of stimuli, should be generalisable to other similar stimuli
Uses operant conditioning
Success in therapy will be rewarding for the client and encourage them to make further progress

Question 4

What are the main components of SD?

Answer 4

Reciprocal Inhibition - It is almost impossible to feel two opposing emotions at the same time
Counter conditioning
The patient is given training in deep muscle relaxation techniques, and constructs a desensitisation hierarchy
Patient makes their way through their hierarchy, starting with the least fearful
Visualize each situation when using the relaxation techniques
Due to reciprocal inhibition, they should after a while be able to visualise the stressful situation when remaining relaxed
No longer causes stress
Moves onto the next step in the hierarchy
Moves at the pace of the client, they can move back if needed
Eventually the client will reach the top of the hierarchy, and mastered the fearful situation

Question 5

What are the different forms of SD?

Answer 5

In Vivo Desensitisation - client has to relax while directly experiencing the feared stimuli
Arachnophobia / Claustrophobia
In Vitro Desensitisation - Clarinet has to visualise the feared stimuli
Death / Thunderstorms
In Vivo techniques are more successful than in vitro (Menzies and Clarke 1993)