Phobias: Treatments based on learning theories Flashcards
What are 2 therapy techniques used to treat phobias
Systematic desensitisation
Flooding
Systematic desensitisation:
Define it
designed to gradually reduce phobia based anxiety through classical conditioning.
- new response to phobic stimulus is learned
Systematic desensitisation:
What is counterconditioning
the learning of a different response
Systematic desensitisation:
What are the 3 processes in SD
Anxiety hiearchy
Relaxation
Exposure
Systematic desensitisation:
What is a anxiety hierarchy
The client and therapist work together and form scenarios where the client ranks them in order of what would make them most anxious to least anxious
Systematic desensitisation:
Give an example of anxiety hierachy
an arachnaphobic would identify seeing a picture of a tarantula at the bottom of the hierachy while holding a tarantula would be at the top
Relaxation:
define it
therapist teaches the client to relax as much as possible
Relaxation:
What are some methods the therapist may teach the client for them to relax
Breathing techniques
Meditation
perscribed drug
Exposure:
define it
while is the relaxed state, client is exposed to phobic stimulus
- starts from the bottom of hierachy to the top over multiple sessions
Why does sytematic desensitisation work
because people can be in a relaxed state and still suffer from anxiety.
Flooding:
define it
also exposes clients to phobic stimulus but theres no gradual build up, instead it’s immidiate exposure to frighting situations
Flooding:
Give an example of flooding technique
an archnophobic would be exposed to a tarantula crawling on their body from for a long period of time.
Flooding:
How long is a typical session
2-3 hours
sometime only 1 session is needed
Flooding:
How does flooding work
takes away the option of avoidance behaviours
clients learns quickly that the phobia is harmless and fear response is removed (extinction)
- sometimes clients become exhausted from their own fear response
Flooding:
What are some ethical safegaurds of flooding
due to unpleasant conditions, clients must give full consent and be prepared before flooding
- clients must also be given a choice between flooding or SD
