D3a1 How to treat phobias

Question 1

Anxiety

Answer 1

a state of fear or worry

Question 2

Hierarchy of fears

Answer 2

a list of fears that are arranged from most to least feared

Question 3

Flooding

Answer 3

Extreme therapy based on theory of classical conditioning. Involves confronting fear directly. Flooding uses idea of association, and tries to get people to associate fear with relaxation. Aim of therapy is to substitute anxiety with relaxation.

Question 4

How is flooding done?

Answer 4

1) client identifies feared object or situation
2) forced into situation where they are exposed to fear and cannot escape
3) after a while, the body naturally calms down, it cannot sustain anxious state for too long as it harms body
4) when they finally calm down, they will learn to associate fear with relaxation

Question 5

Problems with flooding

Answer 5

Not always ethical, people not likely to want to be involved in such a treatment. Not always effective, and systematic desensitisation is often preferred

Question 6

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 6

Less stressful than flooding, involves same principle: that exposure leads to relaxation that can be associated with the feared object, but done more gradually

Question 7

How is systematic desensitisation done?

Answer 7

1) patient identifies feared object or situation
2) therapist develops hierarchy of fears
3) therapist teaches patient relaxation techniques, that help cope with exposure to situations within hierarchy of fears
4) Therapist introduces them to situation/ fear starting from lowest fear rating. Patient uses relaxation techniques to deal with situation. Once ready, patient moves to next level
5) Patient moves up hierarchy, until they reach most feared situation