Psychopathology: Behavioural Approach to explaining and treating phobias

Question 1

What are the key assumptions of this approach as an explanation for phobias?
3

Answer 1

-abnormal behaviour is learnt like any other behaviour
-the same laws apply to humans and animals
-behaviour is determined by the environment

Question 2

Name the behavioural characteristics of phobias and what do they mean?
2

Answer 2

Panic-crying , screaming , freeze

Avoidance-effort is made to avoid coming into contact with the phobic stimulus

Question 3

Name the emotional characteristic and explain what it means

How does it arise?

Is this response proportionate to the actual danger posed?

Answer 3

Anxiety-an unpleasant state of high arousal which prevents us from relaxing and experiencing pleasant emotions

from the presence of the phobic stimulus or anticipation of it

No

Question 4

Name the cognitive characteristics and explain what they mean
3

Answer 4

Irrational beliefs-sufferer cant be persuaded by a rational argument that the fear is unfounded

Cognitive distortions-perception of the phobia may be distorted

Selective attention-cant move their attention from the phobic stimulus

Question 5

Who devised the 2 process model as an explanation and when?

Answer 5

Mowrer in 1947

Question 6

How does the 2 process model say phobias are acquired and maintained

Answer 6

they are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Question 7

Explain how a phobia is acquired through classical conditioning ?

Answer 7

-learning occurs through the pairing of a neutral stimulus and another stimulus that produces an automatic response until eventually the neutral stimulus can produce the automatic response

Question 8

According to operant conditioning what is learning based on the principle of?

If a behaviour is reinforced is it less/more likely to be repeated?

Answer 8

consequences such as reinforcement

More likely

Question 9

What does positive reinforcement mean?

What does negative reinforcement mean?

Answer 9

that a behaviour is more likely to be repeated if its given a reward

that a behaviour is more likely to be repeated if it means an unpleasant situation is avoided

Question 10

How does operant conditioning apply to maintaining a phobia?

Answer 10

phobic responses are negatively reinforced as when the sufferer avoids the phobic stimulus their fear response is reduced

this reduction reinforces the avoidance behaviour which maintains the phobia

Question 11

What is a strength of this approach as an explanation for phobias?

Answer 11

+its based within an established theory
this makes it a plausible explanation and it has led to the development of effective treatments such as systematic desensitisation
this shows its a useful way of understanding phobias

Question 12

What are 2 weaknesses ?

Answer 12

-its incomplete
we can acquire phobias of things that have been a source of danger in our evolutionary past(snakes)
this means theres more to acquiring phobias than just conditioning

-not every sufferer can recall a traumatic event
there may be different processes involved (SLT etc)
means the 2 process model isnt complete

Question 13

What is a further weakness of this approach as an explanation for phobias?

Answer 13

-it ignores the interaction between learning and genetics
we can inherit a genetic predisposition to developing mental disorders such as phobias , meaning only those with this inheritance will develop a phobia
-incomplete explanation for the causation of phobias

Question 14

What are the 2 types of treatments for phobias?

Answer 14

flooding and systematic desensitisation

Question 15

Describe the process of flooding ( 3 points)

Answer 15

-patients are given immediate exposure to a frightening situation
-flooding stops phobic responses very quickly
-without the option of avoidance behaviour , the patient quickly learns the stimulus is harmless

Question 16

In classical conditioning , what is this learning process known as?
Explain what this means…

Answer 16

extinction , a learned response is extinguished if the CS is encountered without the UCS

Question 17

Evaluate flooding as a treatment for phobias
( 2 weaknesses and 1 strength)

Answer 17

-not appropriate for all patients
they often find the procedure too traumatic so don’t complete it meaning time and money is wasted
-its not effective for all phobias
EG social phobias which are far more complex as they have a cognitive element , means the treatment has limited effectiveness

+it is cost effective
studies comparing it to other therapies found its highly affective and quicker than alternatives , allows patients to be free of their symptoms quickly making it cheaper

Question 18

Who developed systematic desensitisation and when?

Answer 18

Joseph Wolpe in the 1950s

Question 19

What is SD based on the principle of and what does it aim to do?

Answer 19

based on the principle of counter conditioning (relearning a response)

it aims to replace the undesirable behaviour of anxiety with a more desirable one like relaxation

Question 20

Describe the 5 stages of SD

Answer 20

1-patient is taught relaxation techniques
2-patient and therapist construct and anxiety hierarchy (a series of imagined scenes , each one causing a little more anxiety then the prev one)
3-patient visualises the first stage whilst engaging in relaxation techniques
4-continue until patient stays relaxed when visualising this stage , then work way up the hierarchy
5-patient eventually masters the most feared situation

Question 21

What are the 2 strengths of SD as a treatment for phobias?

Answer 21

+research shows SD works for a variety of anxiety disorders
75% of patients with phobias reported SD had helped whereas 33% of patients reported drug treatments had helped , meaning SD is far more effective than other treatments

+it is quick and requires less effort than other psychotherapies
patients are more likely to continue for the duration of the treatment making it more likely to be successful , meaning its a more appropriate treatment

Question 22

What are the 2 limitations of SD as a treatment for phobias?

Answer 22

-it works better with phobias acquired through personal experience , it may not be effective for some phobias as we are biologically prepared to fear some stimuli due to evolutionary survival strategies , meaning the treatment has limited effectiveness

-it treats the symptoms not the causes
this means the symptoms could come back or be displaced onto another stimuli , meaning it again has limited effectiveness