NOT ON ALEVEL 4.1.11 treatment for phobias

Question 1

What is systematic desensitisation

Answer 1

One difference is that systematic desensitisation involves reciprocal inhibition were the person has to learn to relax and then the third object is paired with the stimuli that the person uses for relaxation in order to create a new association between the third object and the feeling of relaxation

Also systematic desensitisation uses a fair hierarchy allowing the person to gradually confront the food objects/situation using a series of stages building up gradually towards the object/Situation that person initially felt would be the most frightening. It is a slow and steady approach and takes longer so maybe more expensive

Question 2

What is flooding

Answer 2

flooding does not use reciprocal inhibition and instead assumes that the person simply cannot maintain a full flight or fight response to their third object forever and eventually the stress will diminish in the presence of a third object, allowing them to confront the object and learn that it will not be followed by the unconditioned stimulus. Flooding start immediately with the most frightening experience and rapid progress can be made in one single session it might be more affordable and more people are able to access the

Question 3

Similarities between systematic desensitisation and flooding

Answer 3

Both involve exposing the phobic person to their food object working on the principle that the person will overcome their fears if they are able to confirm the condition stimulus for long enough to unlearn is association with the unconditioned stimulus. Both systematic desensitisation and flooding focus on changing behaviour as opposed to changing irrational thinking.

And both may be ineffective for people with multiple phobias or people who have suffered extremely traumatic experiences including childhood abuse for example