Booklet 2- Phobias

Question 1

What are phobias

Answer 1

• A phobias is an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, animal, feeling or situation. A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. You may not experience any symptoms until you come into contact with the phobic situation.

-in some cases, even thinking about the source of a phobia can make a person feel anxious or panicky. This is known as anticipatory anxiety.

Question 2

Behavioural characteristics of phobias

Answer 2

• Main behavioural response is avoidance- when presented with the stimulus or possibility of its occurance the person will attempt to avoid or flee from the stimulus

-another is to freeze or faint triggered by acute stress

Question 3

Cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 3

• Phobias are the irrational nature of a persons thinking and their resistance to rational arguments about their fear.

-despite how the person recognises their fear being excessive or unreasonable
-they may have selevctive attention to the phobic stimulus/

Question 4

Emotional characteristics of phobias

Answer 4

• Fear that is peristent, visible and excessive and unreasonable

-anxiety and panic about the popssibility of coming into copntact with the phobic stimulus
-these emotions can be exhinited in the presence of the stimulus but also the anticipation of it.

Question 5

Two-process model of phobias

Answer 5

• Step one-Initiation
  -Phobias are created due top classical conditioning as we learn to fear something we do not fear (neutral stimulus).
• Step two-Maintenance
  -Phobias are maintained due to operant conditioning as phobias are usually negatively reinforced as the unpleasant consequence is avoided when the person avoids the situation.

Question 6

AO3 of behavioural explanations of phobias-Other explanations

Answer 6

• Children observe their parents reacting to a phobic stimulus. The child identifies with their parent. The modelled behaviour of fear, and panic, results in attention being given and by avoiding the stimulus is rewarding for the parent.
  -This is vicarious reinforcement, the child is then motivated to imitate this behaviour
• Supporting evidence for SLT as an explanation of phobias comes from Mineka et al (1984). Rhesus monkeys observed their parents being scatred of snakes and after 6 successful trails they had developed the same fear.

Question 7

AO3 of behavioural explanations of phobias-R

Answer 7

• Reductionist as it attempts to reduce complex human behaviours into more simple explanations. Argues that someoen with a phobia has accquired it through a series of simple stimulus>response associations
  -this approach doesnt consider person as a whole and ignored factors like genetics and schemas

Question 8

AO3 of behavioural explanations of phobias-D

Answer 8

• Deterministic as it proposed that phobias are a result of stimulus>response associants that are beyond conscious control of the individual.
  -Removes any free will or conscious control of thought in the aqcuisition of a phobia instead saying its two stimuli presented with each other continuously until negatively reinforced .
  -this is dehumanising as it removes any aspect of conscious control or awareness over their behaviour

Question 9

Behavioural characteristics of phobias

Answer 9

• Avoidance, fainting, fleeing, freezing

Question 10

Behavioural treatments for phobias

Answer 10

• Behavioural treatments are based on the assumption that phobias are a result of learning through association and therefore can be unlearned through the process of counter conditioning
• the two main types of treatment are Systematic desensitisation and Flooding

Question 11

Systematic desensitisation definition

Answer 11

• A gradual method of exposure to replace a conditioned response with another.
  -(counter conditioning)

Question 12

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 12

• Step 1- The sufferer is taught relaxation techniques. Such as deep, rhythmic breathing, muscle relaxation to slow the heart rate
• Step 2-The sufferer constructs a heriarchy of fears in which they rate each situation with an anxiety score so exposure can progress least fearerd to most feared
• Step 3-Sufferer moves through the heirarchy and its essential they relax at each stage before progressing to replace the CR with a new one.
  -they eventually become desensitised to the CS

Question 13

Flooding explanation

Answer 13

• Flooding (implosion) is where the sufferer is directly exposed to their phobic stimulus. They are encouraged to remain in the room/ situation for a period of time until their anxiety peaks. This level of anxiety cannot be prolonged and eventually decreased
  -By not allowing the person to leave they are prevented from negatively reinforcing their fear

Question 14

AO3 systematic desensitisation-Empowering

Answer 14

• Its empowering for the sufferer as they are actively involved in the treatment processas they are contsructing the heriarchy process etc. Compared to flooding its also more ethical and tolerable method of treatment that should in theory not place the individual under prolonged actute stress.

-is a key strength as it means patients persist with the treatment to overcome their fear

Question 15

AO3 of systematic desensitisation-Time

Answer 15

• Can typically be a slow process compared compared to flooding, taking average 6-8 sessions. Although research suggests that the longer the technique the more effective it i.

Question 16

AO3 of systematic desensitisation-Solter(2007)

Answer 16

• Solter (2007) reported on the case stufy of a 5-month old baby who showed signs of traumatic stress after a 3 day hospital stay for surgery to correct the shape of his head.
  -flooding was used to allow him to have a full-blown emotional response
  -outcome was positive with some signs of traumatic stress disorder leaving after 2 weeks and them all being gone after 2 months.
  -suggests its an effective therapy with very young children

Question 17

AO3 of flooding-Wolpe(1960) and Solter(2007)

Answer 17

• Provides evidence to suggest that flooding is an effective treatment, even with very small children. Wolpe forced a woman into a car and drove her around for 4 hours until her extreme anxiety decrease.
  -Intense, in vivo, exposure to a stimulus, rapidly removed the fear responses previously found in both patients.

Question 18

AO3 of flooding-Ethical issues

Answer 18

• During treatment the sufferer is under extreme stress. Patients with poor health are at risk of collapsing and heart attack.
  -However, cost benefit analysis supports the use of flooding because the gains outweigh the costs. May be more cost effectve than SD