Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia

Answer 1

An irrational fear of an object, place or situation

Question 2

What 3 types of phobias did the DSM-5 recognise ?

Answer 2

. Specific = phobias of an object
. Social = phobia of a social situation
. Agoraphibic = being outside

Question 3

What is the behavioural approach to explaining phobias ?

Answer 3

Mowler proposed 2 process model
^ learnt by classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
(Little Albert)

Question 4

What is the evaluation for the behav approach to explaining phobias ?

Answer 4

. Real life application
. Reductionist - doesn’t explain phobias that don’t follow a trauma
. Doesn’t account for evolutionary factors playing a part

Question 5

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias

Answer 5

panic
avoidance
endurance

Question 6

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias

Answer 6

anxiety and fear
unreasonable emotional response

Question 7

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias

Answer 7

selective attention
irrational beliefs
cognitive distortion

Question 8

What is flooding (behav treatments)

Answer 8

Immediate exposure to phobia

Question 9

What is the evaluation for flooding ?

Answer 9

. quick and cheap
. less effective for some types of phobias
. traumatic

Question 10

What is systematic desentitisation (behav treatments)

Answer 10

1.) Anxiety hierarchy
2.) relaxation
3.) exposure

Question 11

What is the evaluation for systematic desentitisation ?

Answer 11

Its effective
. Gilroy studied 42 patients who had SD for their spider phobia over 3 45 minute sessions
. Found after 3 months they were less fearful and more in control of their phobia compared to control group who had no SD therapy

Expensive/time consuming

Suitable for diverse range of patients