phobias Flashcards
define phobias
anxiety disorder, characterised by excessive fear/anxiety (out of proportion) which is triggered by object/place/situation
social, specific and agoraphobias
social
= phobia related to social situations (e.g. speaking in public)
specific
= phobia related to specific things/objects (e.g. trypophobia)
agoraphobia
= phobia of being outside/in public places
behavioural characteristics of phobias
- Endurance (remain in presence of phobic stimulus)
- Avoidance of phobic stimulus
- Panic
emotional characteristics of phobias
- Anxiety
- Emotional response is unreasonable
- Fear
cognitive characteristics of phobias
- Cognitive distortions
- Irrational beliefs
- Selective attention to phobic stimulus
behavioural approach to explaining phobias (Mowrer 2 Process Model 1947)
= phobias are learnt/acquired
through classical conditioning,
- associate something that we initially do not fear (NS), with something that already triggers fear response (US)
= maintained through operant conditioning
- negative reinforcement = avoidance of phobic stimulus, removes unpleasant feelings of anxiety/fear and so is repeated
- positive reinforcement =
interaction with phobic stimulus adds unpleasant feelings of anxiety/fear so less likely to be repeated
Outline case study of Little Albert (Watson & Rayner 1920)
9 months old
- shown white rat (NS)
- researchers made loud, frightening noise (US) by banging bar close to LA’s ear, whenever presenting white rat
- associate NS with US = LA started displaying fear when presented white rat = CS/CR
- fear became generalised to similar objects
= LA shown other furry objects, e.g., fur coat, rabbit = displayed distress at sight of all
pros of behavioural explanation for phobia
IRL APP
- application in exposure therapies for phobias
= once avoidance of phobic stimulus stopped, reinforcement ceases and so does phobia
- shows value as identifies means of treatment
con of behavioural explanation for phobia
Assumes phobias only caused by negative/traumatic experiences, which is support by Little Albert study
= but not all phobias appear following bad experience and vice versa
e.g., evolutionary explanation for some = acquire phobias of things that have been danger (but not anymore) in evolutionary past
e.g., many ppl have snake phobia despite never encountering snake
- suggest association trauma/phobias not as strong as suggested by approach
further con of behavioural explanation for phobias
Uncomprehensive/incomplete explanation
- does not account for cognitive aspects, two-process model only explains avoidance behvaiour and ignores phobic cognitions
= not complete explanation for symptoms
what are the 2 behavioural methods to treating phobias
- systematic desensitisation
- flooding
what is sensitive desensitisation
= aim to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through counterconditioning
3 principles;
- putting together of anxiety hierarchy (situations relating to phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety, from least to most)
- relaxation techniques = reciprocal inhibition = replace fear with relaxation
- exposure to phobic stimulus, gradually across several sessions = inline with anxiety hierarchy
what is flooding
= involves immediate exposure to phobic stimulus
- causes extinction of avoidant behaviour as client realises previous association doesn’t always happen/phobic stimulus is harmless
- may achieve relaxation due to exhaustion from own fear response
pros of SD treatment of phobias
SD
- Evidence for Effectiveness
= McGrath et al. (1990) found that 75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated using systematic desensitisation - All Inclusive
= can be used to help those with learning disabilities, unlike cognitive therapies, SD doesn’t need complex rational thought, and not as traumatic as flooding
= most appropriate
cons of SD treatment of phobias
SD
- only treats behaviour caused by phobia, not cause of phobia itself (relaxation techniques, anxiety hierarchy)
= only temporary form of treatment as underlying cause of phobia left undealt with
pros of F treatment of phobias
Highly Cost Effective
- can work in as little as 1 session
= can mean more ppl able to be treated at same cost, compared to SD/other treatments
- positive economic implications
cons of F treatment of phobias
F
- Traumatic
= highly unpleasant, provoke extreme anxiety, can raise ethical issues
- higher dropout rates from treatment, can worsen phobia
Schumacher et al. (2015) = pps and therapists rated significantly more stressful than SD
