Phobias Flashcards
Definition
Phobias are when you experience extreme fear or anxiety activated by an object e.g spider. The fear of the phobic stimulus is irrational and often out of proportion to any real danger
Behavioral characteristics
Avoidance of the feared object- making conscious effort to avoid coming in contact with their phobic stimulus
Panic- crying screaming or running away from the phobic stimulus. Alternatively freezing or fainting
Cognitive characteristics
Persistent irrational beliefs about the phobic stimulus e.g w spider will harm you
Selective attention- keeping attention on the phobic stimulus and finding it difficult to look incase of danger
Emotional characteristics
Anxiety- exposure to the phobic stimulus causes worry or distress
Fear- exposure to the phobic stimulus causes terror
Behavioral approach to explaining phobias
The two process model
- the behavioral approach suggests that phobias are a learnt behavior
- mowrer argues that phobias are initially leant aquired through classical conditioning then maintained through operant conditioning. This is called the two process model
Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning involves learning to associate something of which we initially have no fear of (a neutral stimulus)with something that already triggers a fear response(unconditioned stimulus). This fear response is triggered every time they see or think about the feared object
Operant conditioning
Responses aquired through classical conditioning tend to decline over time. Mowrer emphasizes that phobias are maintained through operant conditioning because by continuing to avoid the feared stimulus they are being negatively reinforced by reducing the anxiety they feel. This explains why phobias are long lasting through continued avoidance
AO3
The behaviorist approach to explaining a phobia can be criticized for environmental reductionism. This is because it reduces the complex human behavior of phobias down to simple basic units of leaning phobias through association between a neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response and maintaining a phobia through reinforcement. This neglects the holistic approach which would take into account how a persons culture and social context would influence phobias. Therefore the behavioral explanation of phobias is limited as it does not allow us to understand the behavior in context.
Behavioral approach to treating phobias
Aim - to use classical conditioning to unlearn a maladaptive behavioral response to a phobic stimulus
Relaxation
The patient is taught how to relax using muscle relaxation techniques or breathing exercises
Hierarchy of anxiety
The patient then works with the therapist to make a graded scale starting with a stimuli that scaredthem the least to those that scare them the most
Gradual exposure
The client is then gradually exposed to the least feared situation they may feel anxious but are encouraged to put the relaxation techniques into practice. This is known as reciprocal inhibition- the concept whereby two incompatible states of mind cannot co exist at the same time e.g anxiety or relaxation.
Once they are relaxed they are then exposed to the next stage of the hierarchy. This is a gradual process and the client only moves beyond each stage once they are relaxed
Complete treatment
The patient completes treatment when they are desensitized and are able to move through the hierarchy without anxiety
AO3
Research to support the effectiveness of systematic desensitization as a behavioral treatment for phobias was conducted by Gilroy 2003. She followed up 42 people who had SD for spider phobias in three 45 minute sessions using gradual exposure. At both three months after treatment and thirty three months after treatments the SD group were much less fearful than a control group who were treated with a therapy that did not use exposure to a phobic stimuli as part of the therapy. Therefore suggesting that reassociating a phobia/fear with relaxation through systematic desensitization
