Phobias Flashcards
What type of disorders do phobias fall under, according to the DSM-5?
Phobias fall under the category of anxiety disorders, which involve excessive, irrational fear responses that lead to avoidance and stress
Define a phobia
A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of objects, situations or concepts. This fear is disproportionate to the actual threat posed, leading to extreme anxiety
How does the DSM-5 categorise phobias?
the DSM-5 categorises phobias into three main types:
1-specific phobia, which relates to specific objects or situations
2-social phobia, which involves gear of social situations
3-agoraphobia, which involves fear of open or public spaces
what are the characteristics that come with social phobia (social anxiety disorder)
Social anxiety disorder can bring a fear of social situations or interactions for example being judged, embarrassed or negatively evaluated by others
What are examples of specific phobias?
specific phobias include things like arachnophobia(fear of spiders), trypanophobia (fear of injections) and claustrophobia(fear of enclosed spaces)
What is a common behavioural characteristics in response to a phobic stimulus?
A common response is to panic which involves things like:
-high stress and anxiety
-“freezing” on the spot
-crying and screaming
-running away
-passing out/fainting
Another behavioural characteristic is avoidance, what would a sufferer do to avoid a stimulus?
To avoid the suffer may:
-go out of there way to avoid stimulus eg. not booking a flight for a holiday.
-taking steps to ensure they’re not confronted with the stimulus eg. refusing invitation to social event
-informing others of phobia so they are aware
what do cognitive characteristics of phobias involve?
cognitive characteristics of phobias involve irrational thinking, cognitive distortions and selective attention.
what do cognitive characteristics of phobias control?
cognitive characteristics may control how the phobic person thinks about the phobic stimulus and the way in which they process information about the stimulus.
give examples of what might a person with irrational thinking and cognitive distortions think surrounding the phobic stimulus
a phobic person may believe:
-“What if i talk to someone new and they laugh at me and tell everyone I’m stupid”
-If I use an escalator my clothes could get trapped and I could end up injured”
what does selective attention involve?
selective attention involves the phobic person becoming fixated on the stimulus and unable to draw their attention away from it.
what is an example of selective attention?
example of selective attention:
-Staring at someone’s shirt buttons at a party due to the fear that the buttons will choke someone.
What do emotional characteristics revolve around?
Emotional characteristics revolve around the primary feelings and emotions experienced in the presence of a phobic stimulus
what is the key emotion surrounding phobias?
anxiety
What is the definition of a phobic response?
A phobic response is an extreme emotional response which is usually out of proportion to the threat posed by the phobic stimulus.
what does the two process model(TPM)assume about behaviour?
it assumes behaviour is learned through experience via environmental stimuli
what psychological approach is key to understanding the TPM?
behaviourism
what are the key mechanisms of behaviourism?
behaviour can be conditioned via classical and operant conditioning
how does classical conditioning relate to phobias?
it explains the development of phobias
what does operant conditioning explain in the context of phobias?
it explains the maintenance of phobias.
What is classical conditioning?
It involves the transformation of a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus through association.
give an example of classical conditioning
Pavlovs dog, where a bell produced salivation in dogs when associated with food
what is the unconditioned stimulus in pavlovs experiment?
food
what is operant conditioning?
It involves the role of reinforcement in behaviour and learning via consequences
provide an example of positive reinforcement in operant conditioning
rats learn to tap a lever an receive food.
provide an example of negative reinforcement in operant conditioning
learning to tap a lever to avoid electric shock
according to the TPM, how are behaviours such as phobias learned and maintained?
they are originally learned via classical conditioning and the maintained via operant conditioning
what case study provides research support for the development of phobias?
The case study of little albert (Watson and Rayner 1920)
How did little albert initially react to the white rat?
He showed no anxiety or fear
what was the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in little albert conditoning
a loud, frightening noise created by banging an iron bar
what was the unconditioned response (UCR) in the little albert experiment?
fear response created by loud noise
What role did the pairing of the rat (NS) and the noise (UCS) play in Little Albert’s development of fear?
It created the initial fear response.
After conditioning, how did Albert react to the rat alone?
He displayed fear when he saw the rat without the noise
What does the rat become after conditioning in Little Albert’s case?
The conditioned stimulus (CS) producing the conditioned response (CR) of fear.
What do the findings from the Little Albert study suggest about phobias?
They suggest that phobias can be established via classical conditioning.
How has the TPM contributed to the treatment of phobias?
It has led to therapies such as systematic desensitisation that aim to reverse the conditioning process.
What is a strength of the TPM regarding therapy?
The TPM has useful applications for treating phobias.
What is a limitation of the TPM in explaining phobia development?
It only focuses on conditioning and does not account for evolutionary origins of some phobias.
Provide an example of a phobia that may have an evolutionary origin.
Fear of snakes (which can harm or kill humans).
What is another example of an evolutionary phobia?
Fear of heights (due to the risk of falling).
What limitation does the TPM have regarding individuals with aversive experiences?
It cannot explain why some people do not develop phobias despite having continuous aversive experiences.
Give an example of someone who did not develop a phobia despite an aversive experience.
A person who was physically punished at school but does not develop school phobia (scolionophobia).
What is the most commonly used behavioral therapy to treat phobias?
Systematic desensitization (SD).
How long does systematic desensitization typically take?
It takes place over weeks or even months.
What type of process is systematic desensitization?
A gradual, stage-based process.
How does systematic desensitization empower the patient?
It puts the patient in charge of their own progress.
On what principles does systematic desensitization work?
The principles of classical conditioning.
What was the phobic stimulus initially considered before conditioning?
A neutral stimulus.
What does systematic desensitization aim to achieve regarding the conditioned phobic stimulus?
It aims to revert the conditioned phobic stimulus back to being a neutral stimulus.
What happens to the fear response during systematic desensitization?
It produces no fear response in the person.
How does gradual exposure to the phobic stimulus help the patient?
It allows for ‘unlearning’ to occur, conditioning them to view the stimulus without fear.
What are the three stages of systematic desensitization?
Anxiety Hierarchy, Relaxation, and Exposure.
What occurs in the Anxiety Hierarchy stage?
The patient and therapist construct a list of situations involving the phobic stimulus, ranked from least to most frightening.
What is the purpose of the Relaxation stage?
To help calm the patient physiologically.
What technique involves controlling and slowing down the breath?
Breathing exercises.
How does visualisation help in the Relaxation stage?
The patient mentally places themselves in a calming environment, such as a beach or meadow.
What type of treatment might be used as part of biological therapy during desensitization?
Drug therapy, such as diazepam.
What happens during the Exposure stage?
The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state, starting at stage 1 of the anxiety hierarchy.
How does the patient progress during the Exposure stage?
They move up the hierarchy stage by stage, checking for signs of panic and slowing down if necessary.
What is the aim of the Exposure stage in systematic desensitization?
For the patient to reach the top of the hierarchy while remaining relaxed and in control.
What is one strength of systematic desensitization (SD)?
SD is supported by research demonstrating its effectiveness.
What study provided evidence for the effectiveness of SD?
Gilroy et al. (2003), which studied 42 patients with spider phobia.
What were the findings of Gilroy et al.’s study on SD?
Patients showed less fear and more control over their phobia at 3 and 33 months compared to a control group.
For which type of patients is SD particularly successful?
Patients with vivid imaginations who can visualize their phobia.
What is a limitation of systematic desensitization?
It does not treat the underlying cause of the phobia, only the resulting behavior.
What might happen because SD does not address the cause of the phobia?
The phobia may return, or another phobia may replace it.
How does SD’s focus limit its usefulness?
It may not provide a comprehensive solution for phobia treatment.
What challenge might patients face after therapy sessions?
They may struggle to apply what they’ve learned to real-life situations without therapist guidance.
How does the patients struggle to apply what they’ve learned to real life situations affect the external validity of SD?
It reduces the generalisability of the treatment’s effectiveness in everyday scenarios.
What alternative treatment might be more effective than SD alone?
A combination of biological (e.g., drug therapy) and behavioral (e.g., SD) treatments.
What is a less widely-used and more controversial behavioral treatment for phobias?
Flooding.
How does flooding differ from systematic desensitization (SD)?
Flooding involves sudden, extreme exposure to the phobic stimulus without a gradual approach.
What type of approach does flooding utilize?
An ‘all or nothing’ approach.
Does flooding place the patient in a calm state or involve relaxation techniques?
No, it does not.
How long does a flooding session typically last?
A few hours, often taking place in one session.
What is the goal of sudden exposure in flooding therapy?
To extinguish the fear associated with the phobic stimulus.
Provide an example of flooding for someone with acrophobia (fear of heights)
Taking them to a high building and having them stand on the edge.
What is the term for the absence of fear in the face of the conditioned phobic stimulus in flooding?
Extinction.
Why does extinction occur according to flooding therapy?
Because the patient cannot avoid or escape the phobic stimulus; they must confront it.
How does the perception of the phobic stimulus change for the patient after flooding?
What once filled them with fear is now regarded as ‘just a spider’ or ‘just a high building.’
