Phobias

Question 1

What is a phobia?

Answer 1

An extreme and irrational fear of a specific stimulus that produces a conscious avoidance of the source of fear

Question 2

What are behavioural characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 2

1) how you behave when you see phobic object
2) avoidance of phobic object
3) fainting, freezing, or shaking when presented with phobic object
4) behaviours interfere with other daily activities

Question 3

What are emotional characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 3

1) how it makes you feel
2) excessive, unreasonable and persistent fear
3) feelings in response to presence/anticipation of phobic object

Question 4

What are cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

Answer 4

1) what you think about phobic object
2) recognition that fear is irrational
3) can’t be helped by rational argument
4) selective attention to phobic object

Question 5

How does the behavioural approach explain phobias?

Answer 5

1) suggests all phobias are learned
2) Two-Process model explains how it begins and continues
3) must come into contact with phobic object in order to have learned the fear

Question 6

How does a phobia develop?

Answer 6

1) classical conditioning causes a phobia to develop through learning by association
2) starts with a reflex response which is learned to pair with a neutral stimulus
3) eg. Loud noise (UCS) -> fear (UCR)
Loud noise (UCS) + spider (NS) -> fear (UCR)
Spider (CS) -> fear (CR)

Question 7

How is a phobia maintained?

Answer 7

1) operant conditioning by learning through consequences
2) through negative reinforcement as avoiding the feared object means you feel calm instead of fearful which makes you continue this behaviour

Question 8

What are the strengths of the Behavioural explanation of phobias?

Answer 8

1) evidence from studies that support the idea that learning is responsible (eg. Little Albert), increasing confidence
2) major practical applications as it led to the development of successful behavioural therapies (systematic desensitisation and flooding) which offer a solution to a problem in the real-world and help people to unlearn a fear response (systematic desensitisation is 75% effective)

Question 9

What are the limitations of the behavioural explanation of phobias?

Answer 9

1) not all phobias appear following a bad experience so don’t have to come face to face with phobic object (eg. Munjack (1984) that 50% of people with driving phobia never had a bad experience in a car), decreasing confidence as it doesn’t explain all phobias
2) it is reductionist as learning theory does not explain why many people have the same phobias (as it could be genes and evolution as well), decreasing confidence

Question 10

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 10

1) Gradual exposure to one’s feared object
2) based on counterconditioning and reciprocal inhibition (the notion that we can’t experience two incompatible emotions at the same time)

Question 11

What is the first stage of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 11

Teaching relaxation techniques to the individual that they practice so they can get into a state of calm and relaxation and allows them to recreate this sensation intentionally

Question 12

What is the second stage of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 12

Creating a hierarchy of fear ranked from least to most frightening

Question 13

What is the third stage of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 13

Gradual exposure to each step in hierarchy while practicing relaxation techniques - reciprocal inhibition- and learns a new association between the feared stimulus and feeling relaxed (counterconditioning)

Question 14

What are the two ways of experiencing the scenarios on the hierarchy?

Answer 14

1) in vitro = imagining
2) in vivo = exposure

Question 15

What is the strength of the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 15

1) There is evidence suggesting it alleviates a range of phobic symptoms and McGrath (1990) found 75% of people were successfully treated. Can last 33 months showing it is effective and it supports the economy

Question 16

What are the limitations of the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 16

1) Not all aspects are equally effective as imagining (in vitro) is less effective than confronting feared stimulus and if some people have a vivid imagination it may be more effective for them
2) any benefits may be short term as Craske and Barlow found 50% of patients relapse within 6 months

Question 17

What is the strength of the appropriateness of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 17

1) more ethical at treating some phobias compared to flooding because client has some control over the process which limits the drop out rate and is more desirable to people seeking help

Question 18

What are the limitations of the appropriateness of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 18

1) not always appropriate as some phobias can’t be confronted (zombies) meaning the only option is the less effective in vitro therapy
2) some phobias have an underlying evolutionary cause and have not been learned and are much more resistant to being eliminated with counterconditioning
3) does not attempt to treat the underlying cause of a phobia
4) takes a lot of commitment and motivation which is not appropriate for all abnormalities where drugs may be more appropriate

Question 19

What is flooding?

Answer 19

1) Full and immediate exposure to feared stimulus where in one long session individual is exposed to phobia at its worst while using relaxation techniques until anxiety levels come down and a new association is learned
2) based on counterconditioning and reciprocal inhibition
3) can take place in vivo or in vitro

Question 20

What are the strengths of flooding?

Answer 20

1) effective for some individuals (if they see it through to the end it’s more effective than SD) and Kaplin (2011) found 65% of patients given a single session showed no symptoms 4 years later
2) quicker than SD

Question 21

What is the limitation of flooding?

Answer 21

1) not always appropriate because it deliberately creates high levels of anxiety so is traumatic, raising ethical issues and means they may drop out, meaning if won’t be successful for all with phobias and inaccessible to some