Phobias Flashcards
What are phobias?
An irrational fear of an object, place or situation that causes a constant avoidance of said object, place or situation.
What are the categories of phobias recognised by the DSM-5?
The DSM-5 recognises the following categories of phobias:
1. Specific phobia: Phobia of a specific object or situation (e.g. needles, spiders, flying)
2. Social phobia (Social anxiety): Phobia of social situations (e.g. public speaking)
3. Agoraphobia: Phobia of being outside
Behavioural characteristics of phobias
Ways in which people act
Panic
Avoidance
Endurance
Emotional characteristics of phobias
Ways in which people feel
Fear
Anxiety
Unreasonable responses
Cognitive characteristics of phobias
Ways in which people process information Selective attention
Panic
May involve crying, screaming, running away
Example: A person with panic disorder may experience a sudden and intense fear when faced with a trigger.
Avoidance
Can make it difficult to go about daily life
Can interfere with work education social life etc
Endurance
Remain in the presence of the phobic stimulus but experience high levels of anxiety
Example: A person with a fear of heights may endure being on a tall building but feel extremely anxious.
Fear
Immediate response
Occurs when encountering or thinking about the phobic stimulus
Anxiety
Phobias are classed as anxiety disorders
Can be long term
Prevents relaxation
Unreasonable responses
Response to stimulus is wildly disproportionate to the danger posed by the stimulus
Example: Someone with a phobia of spiders may scream and run away at the sight of a tiny spider.
Selective attention
May be hard to look away from phobic stimulus
Selective attention can make it challenging to focus on anything else when faced with a phobic trigger.
Irrational beliefs
Beliefs that are difficult or impossible in reality
Example: A person with a phobia of public speaking may believe that they will always embarrass themselves.
Cognitive distortions
Perception of the phobic stimulus is likely to be different to people without a phobia
Example: people scared of snakes will find them alien like
How are phobias charecterised
Phobias are characterised by excessive fear and anxiety caused by the object, place or situation.
What does the behavioural approach emphasise?
The behavioural approach emphasises the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour, and focuses on observable behaviours
Who proposed the two-process model?
Mowrer (1960) proposed the two-process model, based on the behavioural approach. This states that phobias are learnt through classical conditioning, and maintained through operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning involves learning to associate a neutral stimulus (something we are not afraid of) with an unconditioned stimulus (something that already triggers a fear response)
E.g Little Albert was conditioned to have a phobia
What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning reinforces behaviour (the behavioural characteristics of phobias)
Negative reinforcement (avoiding the unpleasant situation) leads to a desirable consequence (no fear or anxiety), meaning the behaviour is likely to be repeated, and so the phobia is maintained
What does the Little Albert case study show?
The Little Albert case study shows that phobias can be learnt
It also shows that phobias can be generalised to other stimuli
Therefore mowers model has validity
Why is the two-process model considered incomplete and reductionist
does not consider all perspectives
- some phobias exist without an initial traumatising experience
• The role of cognition and biology (e.g. inherited vulnerability) have been ignored in this explanation
What is flooding therapy?
-Flooding involves exposing patients to their phobic stimulus without the gradual build-up
-involves immediate exposure to a very frightening situation
- usually lasts 2-3 hours
• patients are unable to avoid the phobic stimulus, so they quickly learn that it is harmless
• In some cases, the patient may achieve relaxation in the presence of the phobic stimulus simply because they become exhausted by their own fear response
Why is flooding considered cost-effective and preparatory
- Flooding is as effective as other treatments for specific phobias Ougrin (2011) found flooding to be highly effective and quicker than cognitive therapies
- Prepares individuals for worst case scenario
• This makes the treatment more generalisable to real-life situations, and is therefore potentially more useful than SD
What are limitations of flooding therapy?
-Flooding is traumatic whilst not really unethical (as patients give consent)
- It’s less effective for some phobias (social phobias are far more complex)
- Symptom substitution
When one phobia is treated, it is quite common for it to be replaced with another
What is Symptom substitution
When one phobia is treated, it is quite common for it to be replaced with another
e.g Treating a fear of heights may lead to developing a fear of enclosed spaces
What is Systematic Desensitisation (SD)
Gradually reduces a phobia through classical conditioning by learning to relax with the phobic stimulus
What is a Anxiety Hierarchy
Patient and therapist work together to create a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety
What is Relaxation in SD
The therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible which may involve
- deep breathing
- mediation
- mental imagery
- drugs (Valium)
What is Exposure in SD
The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state through several stages on the anxiety hiarchy
PROS OF SD effectiveness
- Research supports the effectiveness Gilroy et al. (2003) followed up 42 patients who had been treated for arachnophobia in three 45-minute sessions of SD
- Acceptability of SD to patients
Patients prefer SD over other phobia treatments, such as flooding
Limitations of SD effectiveness
- LACK OF IRL APPLICATION In reality, patients would not get to choose when or how they are exposed to a phobic stimulus
- NOT GENERALLY APPROPRIATE While SD may be effective for phobias of objects, things like concepts or unavoidable situations may be more difficult to work up to
