Phobias Flashcards
What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias
Panic, Avoidance, Endurance
What is panic
Behaviours such as screaming, crying and running away from the phobic stimulus
What is avoidance
Effort to prevent contact with the phobic stimulus
What is endurance
Remaining with the phobic stimulus and experiencing anxiety
What are the emotional characteristics of phobias
Anxiety, Unreasonable emotional response, fEAR
What is anxiety
An unpleasant state of high arousal
What is an unreasonable emotional response
Disproportionate to the threat presented
What is fear
Immediate response when first encountering the phobic stimulus
What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias
Cognitive distortions, selective attention, irrational beliefs
What are cognitive distortions
Seeing something as bigger than it is, perception of stimulus may be distortedW
What is selective attention
Unable to look away from the phobic stimulus
What are irrational beliefs
Beliefs that are untrue or have no evidence.
What is classical conditioning
Learning through association
What is operant conditioning
Learning through consequence
What is positive reinforcement
Being rewarded, increasing likelihood of doing something again
What is negative reinforcement
Avoiding a negative consequence, increasing likelihood of doing something again
What is punishment
A negative consequence making them less likely to do something again
How are phobias aquired
Through classical conditioning.
What happens before conditioning
The unconditioned stimulus triggers a unconditioned response
What happens during conditioning
The neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response
What happens after conditioning
The neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response
How are phobias maintained
Through operant conditioning, the phobia is avoided and never ‘unlearned’, negatively reinforcing the behaviour
What is the research support for phobias
De Jongh found 73% of dental phobic had experienced traumas in dentistry.
Phobias cannot account for cognitions
It only accounts for behavioural aspects, not cognitive distortions or irrational beliefs etc.
What is systematic desensitisation
Treats phobias based on classical conditioning to ‘unlearn the phobia’, based on the principles of counterconditioning and reciprocal inhibition.
What is counterconditioning
A response to a stimulus can be replaced with a new one
What is reciprocal inhibition
It is not possible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time, one emotion prevents the other.
What 3 steps are involved in systematic desensitisation
Anxiety hierarchy, relaxation techniques, exposure
What is an anxiety hierarchy
An order of the most frightening thing to least frightening, which is unique to each individual.
What are relaxation techniques examples
Breathing exercises, meditation, imagery
What is exposure
Being exposed to stages of the hierarchy gradually and staying relaxed. When you are relaxed at the last stage you are cured.
Research support systematic desensitisation
24 people who had treatment were compared to a control group for their fear of spiders, those who had treatment were less scared.
SD on a wide range of patients
It can be used on patients with learning difficulties and those who struggle with talking therapies.
High engagement levels SD
Has pleasing aspects that patients are likely to engage with, meaning low attrition rates.
What is the aim of systematic desensitisation and flooding
To reassociate the phobic stimulus with something pleasant (relaxation), instead of something unpleasant (fear)
What is flooding
Immediate exposure to a phobic stimulus with no build up, until they full relax, with no option of avoidance.
Flooding ethical issues
There are no ethical issues as patients give informed consent.
Flooding cost and disruption
It works quickly so has little impact on people’s lives day-to-day and is cost effective.
Flooding attrition rates
Traumatic to patients making them leave, Wolpe reported a case that had to be hospitalised, meaning high attrition rates.
Can flooding be used for all phobias
No, dangerous fears like murder or drowning cannot be forced on someone and therefore, it only works on smaller fears such as spiders or the dark.
