Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia?

Answer 1

An anxiety disorder, which interferes with daily living
An instance of irrational fear that produces a conscious avoidance of the feared object/situation

Question 2

What does the DSM-V count as symptoms of a phobia?

Answer 2

-Marked and persistent fear of specific object/situation
-Exposure to phobic stimulus nearly always produces rapid anxiety response
-Fear of phobic object/situation is excessive
-Phobic stimulus is either avoided or responded to with great anxiety
-Phobic reactions interfere significantly with the individual’s working or social life, or he/she is very distressed about the phobia

Question 3

What is a specific phobia

Answer 3

Phobia of object, such as animal or body part or
Phobia of situation such as having injection or flying

Question 4

What is social phobia/anxiety

Answer 4

Phobia of social situation such as public speaking

Question 5

What is agoraphobia

Answer 5

Phobia of being outside or in a public place

Question 6

What are the emotional aspects of a phobia

Answer 6

-Anxiety from fear of phobic stimulus
-Negative
-Unreasonable emotional response, disproportionate to danger imposed

Question 7

What are the behavioural aspects of a phobia

Answer 7

-Panic (crying, screaming, running away)
-Avoidance (take a lot of effort to avoid stimulus which affects day to day life)
-Endurance (if you remain in presence of stimulus experiencing high anxiety)

Question 8

What are the cognitive aspects of a phobia

Answer 8

-Selective attention (hard to look away from stimulus)
-Irrational beliefs (social phobia = “If I blush I am weak”, increases pressure on person to perform in social situations)
-Cognitive distortions (perceptions of stimulus are distorted)

Question 9

Describe the Two Process Model

Answer 9

Emphasised by behavioural approach on the role of learning in acquisition of behaviour
Mowrer (1960) = proposed this model on behavioural approach to phobias
States phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 10

Who is Little Albert

Answer 10

the luv of avanis life

nah
He was in a study by Watson and Rayner (1920)
9 month old baby that they created phobia in

Question 11

Why are phobias maintained by operant conditioning

Answer 11

Classical conditioning responses tend to fade over time
But phobias tend to be long lasting
Mowrer explained this as a result of operant conditioning

Question 12

How are phobias maintained by operant conditioning

Answer 12

Takes place when our behaviour is either reinforced/punished
Reinforcement tends to increase behaviour whether this is through -ve or +ve reinforcement
-ve reinforcement is avoiding a situation which is unpleasant
Results in a desirable consequence which means behaviour will be repeated
When we avoid phobic stimulus we avoid fear and anxiety w it, reinforcing avoidance behaviour and phobias is maintained
WHAT A HEALTHY COPING METHOD

Question 13

What is reinforcement

Answer 13

Process of encouraging or establishing belief or pattern of behaviour
Increases the behaviour

Question 14

What is a punishment

Answer 14

A pleasurable experience
JK
OR MAYBE IDK
An unpleasant consequence of behaviour

Question 15

What is a +ve evaluation of application of behavioural approach

Answer 15

Good explanatory power
2 process model was step forward in 1960s
Explains how phobias can be maintained over time and has important implications for therapies
Once patient is prevented from practicing avoidance behaviour, behaviour ceases to be reinforced and declines

Question 16

What is a -ve evaluation for behavioural approach application

Answer 16

Alternative explanations for avoidance behaviour
Not all avoidance w phobias is result of anxiety reduction
-Evidence suggests that at least some avoidance appears to be motivated more by feelings of safety
Buck 2010 = e.g. agoraphobia - choosing not to leave house is not to avoid phobia stimulus but to stick with safety factor

Question 17

What is another -ve evaluation for behavioural approach application to explain phobias

Answer 17

Bounton 2007 = suggests evolutionary factors probably have important role in phobias
-Like scared of dark could be acquired by source of danger in past
-Adaptive to acquire such fears
Seligman (1971) = called this biological preparedness - innate predisposition to acquire certain factors

Question 18

What is a further -nve evaluation of behaviour to do with trauma?

Answer 18

Some phobias do not follow a trauma
Where does the fear come from?
For some people, they don’t know why they fear something
Can be a result of conditioning but not always

Question 19

What is a -ve evaluation to do with cognitive aspects

Answer 19

Behaviourist approach doesn’t take them into account
2 process model explains maintenance of phobias in terms of avoidance
What about how we process emotions?
Cognitive distortions?
Irrational beliefs?
Selective attention?

Question 20

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 20

Behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through principle of classical conditioning
If sufferer can learn to relax in presence of phobic stimulus they will be cured
New response is learnt, called counterconditioning
Replaced undesirable behaviour with more desirable one

BUT WHAT IF IM AFRAID OF MYSELF?!

Question 21

What is reciprocal inhibition?

Answer 21

We cannot feel fear and relaxed at the same time

Question 22

Describe the process of systematic desensitisation

Answer 22

Step-by-step approach
-Client learns relaxation techniques
-Client works out hierarchy of fear from least frightening to most frightening (functional analysis)
-Client is exposed to phobic stimulus in relaxed state, starting at bottom of hierarchy and work through to highest

Question 23

What is a +ve evaluation of systematic desensitisation

Answer 23

Effective in reducing phobic behaviour
-Gilroy et al. (2003) = 42 patients treated for spider phobia in 3 45 minute sessions, compared to control group who were treated by relaxation without exposure
-At 3 months and 33 months the treatment group were less fearful than the relaxation group

Question 24

What is another +ve evaluation to do with phobias

Answer 24

Suitable for a diverse range of phobias
-Some ppl with anxiety disorders (aka eli and ava), also have learning disabilities
-Can be difficult for people to understand other therapies such as flooding or CBT that require ability to reflect on what you are thinking
-Systematic desensitisation is most appropriate therapy

Question 25

What is another +ve evaluation to do with acceptance

Answer 25

Acceptable to patients
-Patients prefer this therapy as is not as traumatic as flooding
-Also includes some elements which are pleasant = relaxation
-Reflected in low refusal rates and low attrition rates

Question 26

What is flooding

Answer 26

DA MOOSE IN DA VATER
nahh

Involves immediate exposure to frightening experience
Stops phobic responses very quickly
Sometimes patient may achieve relaxation in presence of phobic stimulus because they become exhausted by own fear response

Question 27

What is extinction in association with flooding

Answer 27

There is no option of avoidance and patient quickly learns that phobic stimulus is harmless

Question 28

What are the ethical safeguards of flooding

Answer 28

Is an unpleasant experience so is important patients give fully informed consent
Should be fully prepared before session

Question 29

What is a +ve evaluation of flooding about effectiveness

Answer 29

Is cost effective
Is at least as effective as other treatments for specific phobias
Ougrin (2011) = found flooding is highly effective and quicker than alternatives
Quicker = cheaper

Question 30

What is a -ve evaluation of flooding

Answer 30

Social phobias and agoraphobia do not seem to show much improvement
Complex cognitive aspects
Anxiety + unpleasant thoughts
CBT would b more useful

Question 31

What is another -ve evaluation of flooding about trauma

Answer 31

Treatment is traumatic for patients
They are often unwilling to see it through until the end
Time and money are therefore wasted

Question 32

What is a -ve evaluation for flooding and systematic desensitisation

Answer 32

Symptom substitution
One phobia disappears and another replaces it
DAMN WE DID NOT SEE DIS COMING
BUT evidence is mixed…
Freud suggests it is said to occur if unconscious impulses and conflicts responsible for original symptom are not dealt with effectively