Psychopathology: Phobias

Question 1

Definition Of Phobia.

Answer 1

• A phobia is an anxiety disorder which interferes with daily living.
• An irrational fear of an object or situation.

Question 2

Define Specific Phobia.

Answer 2

• Fear of an object/stimulus.
• E.g fear of bees.

Question 3

Define Agoraphobia.

Answer 3

• Fear of being outside/in a public space.
• E.g fear of crowds.

Question 4

Define Social Anxiety.

Answer 4

• Fear of social situations.
• E.g fear of public speaking.

Question 5

Characteristics Of Phobias: Behavioural.

Answer 5

• Panic - crying, screaming, running away, freezing, clinging.
• Avoidance - efforts are made to avoid the feared objects and situations to reduce anxiety.
• Endurance - remaining in the presence of the phobic stimulus but experiencing high levels of anxiety.

Question 6

Characteristics Of Phobias: Emotional.

Answer 6

• Anxiety - unpleasant state of high arousal that prevents relaxation and positive emotion.
• Emotional response are unreasonable - the emotions are disproportionate to the danger posed by the stimuli.

Question 7

Characteristics Of Phobias: Cognitive.

Answer 7

• Selective attention to the phobic stimulus - attention placed on the phobia once identified.
• Irrational beliefs - an unsupported view of the phobic stimuli.
• Cognitive distortions - an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern around the phobic stimulus.
• Recognition of exaggerated anxiety - conscious awareness that anxiety levels experiences are overstated.

Question 8

The Behavioural Approach Explaining Phobias - Two Process Model.

Answer 8

• Mowrer proposed the two-process model based on behavioural approach to phobias.
• We learn phobias by classical conditioning and then continue because operant conditioning.

Question 9

The Behavioural Approach Explaining Phobias - Little Albert (Classical Conditioning).

Answer 9

• Watson and Rayner showed that irrational fear can be induced by use of classical conditioning.
• Originally Albert had no fear in white rats.
• Whenever the white rat was placed on his lap, a loud noise was produced with 2 steel bars.
• Noise was an unconditioned stimulus and Albert’s response (crying) was an unconditioned response. Before the experiment the rat was a neutral stimulus. The rat is now a conditioned stimulus and Albert’s fear is a conditioned response.

Question 10

The Behavioural Approach Explaining Phobias - Operant Conditioning.

Answer 10

• Operant conditioning is believed to maintain the fear.
• Mowrer suggested whenever we avoid a phobic stimulus we successfully escape the fear and anxiety that would have suffered if we have entered the presence or remained there (pleasant consequence).
• This reduction in fear reinforces (negatively) the avoidance behaviour and so the phobia is maintained.

Question 11

Behavioural Explanation For Phobias: Strength - Good Explanatory Power

Answer 11

• The two process explanation of phobias has good explanatory power.
• It provides an explanation of how phobias can be maintained over time which has important implications for therapies because it explains why patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus.
• By preventing patients practising their avoidance behaviour their behaviour stops being reinforced.
• This application to therapy is a strength of the approach.

Question 12

Behavioural Explanation For Phobias: Weakness - Cannot Explain All Phobias

Answer 12

• One limitation of the two process model is that it does not explain the development of all phobias.
• Some people cannot remember an incident occurring that led to their phobia developing.
• This suggests different phobias may be the result of different processes.
• However, Ost says it is possible that such traumatic events did actually happen, but the phobic has forgotten them.

Question 13

Behavioural Explanation For Phobias: Weakness - Diathesis Stress Models

Answer 13

• Another limitation of the two-process model is that a phobia does not always develop after a traumatic incident.
• For example, DiNardo et al. found that not everyone who is bitten by a dog develops a phobia of dogs.
• The diathesis stress models says we inherit a genetic vulnerability for developing mental disorders, but a disorder will only manifest itself if triggered by as life
  event.
• This suggests a dog bite will only lead to a phobia in people with such a vulnerability.

Question 14

Behavioural Explanation For Phobias: Weakness - Cognitive Aspects

Answer 14

• Phobias have cognitive aspects that cannot be explained in a traditionally behavioural framework.
• For example, a person who thinks they might die if trapped in a lift might become extremely anxious and this may trigger a phobia about lifts.
• This shows that irrational thinking is also involved in the development of phobias.
• This would explain why cognitive therapies can be more successful in treating phobias than behavioural treatments.

Question 15

Behavioural Explanation For Phobias: Weakness - Biological Aspects

Answer 15

• Biological preparedness may be an even better explanation than the two process model of how phobias develop.
• Seligman says animals are genetically prepared to learn associations between fear and stimuli that were life threatening in our evolutionary past,
  such as snakes.
• For example, fear is easier to condition to some things (e.g. spiders) than others (e.g. toasters), even though toasters are more dangerous than spiders.
• This means that behavioural explanations alone cannot explain the development of phobias.

Question 16

Treatment Of Phobia Systematic Desensitisation Overview

Answer 16

• Uses classical conditioning to gradually reduce anxiety around the phobic stimulus.
• Replace the feelings with relaxation as you cannot be scared and relaxed at the same time.

Question 17

Treatment Of Phobia: Systematic Desensitisation: 3 Step Process.

Answer 17

1) Anxiety Hierarchy: Put together by patient and therapist. List of situations in order from least to most frightening.
2) Relaxation: Therapist teaches the patient to relax as deepily as they can. E.g breathing techniques, mediation, if very extreme anxiety then medication can be provided.
3) Expose: The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus whilst in a relaxed state.

Question 18

Treatment Of Phobias: Flooding.

Answer 18

• Treatment method of the phobic stimulus without the gradual build up.
• Involves immediate exposure of phobic stimulus.
• Individual does not have the option of avoidance and therefore learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless - known as extinction.
• Condition stimulus no longer produces the previously conditioned response of fear.

Question 19

Systematic Desensitisation Evaluation: Strength - Research Evidence.

Answer 19

• One strength of systematic desensitisation comes from research evidence which demonstrates the effectiveness of this treatment for phobias.
• McGrath et al found that 75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated using systematic desensitisation, when using in vivo techniques (actual exposure to the phobic stimuli).
• This shows that systematic desensitisation is effective in treating phobias.

Question 20

Systematic Desensitisation Evaluation: Strength - Supporting Evidence.

Answer 20

• Further support comes from Gilroy et al who examined 43 patients with arachnophobia (fear of spider).
• Each patient was treated using three 45 minute systematic desensitisation sessions.
• When examined 3 months and 33 months later, the systematic desensitisation group were less fearful than a control group (who were only taught relation techniques).
• This provides further support for systematic desensitisation as a long term treatment for phobias.

Question 21

Systematic Desensitisation Evaluation: Weakness - Not Effective In Treating All Phobias.

Answer 21

• However, systematic desensitisation is not effective in treating all phobias.
• Patients with phobias which have not developed through a personal experience (classical conditioning) for example, a fear of heights, are not effectively treated using systematic desensitisation.
• Some psychologist believe that certain phobias, like heights, have an evolutionary survival benefit are not the result of personal experience, but results of evolution.
• These phobias highlight a limitation of systematic desensitisation which is ineffective in treating evolutionary.

Question 22

Systematic Desensitisation Evaluation: Strength - Suitable For A Range Of Patients.

Answer 22

• Systematic desensitisation is suitable for a diverse range of patient.
• A lot of individuals who have anxiety disorders like phobias also have learning difficulties.
• Learning difficulties can make it very hard for some patients to understand what is happening during the alternative to systematic desensitisation such as flooding or to engage with cognitive therapies that require the ability to reflect on what you are thinking.
• Systematic desensitisation is therefore an appropriate treatment for many individuals.

Question 23

Systematic Desensitisation Evaluation: Weakness - Another Phobia May Appear.

Answer 23

• A common criticism of systematic desensitisation is that when one phobia disappears another may appear in its place.
• For example a phobia of snakes might be replaced by a phobia of trains.
• This symptom substitution suggests that systematic desensitisation not effect at treating phobia.

Question 24

Flooding Evaluation: Strength - Cost-Effective Treatment.

Answer 24

• One strength of flooding is it provides a cost-effective treatment for phobias.
• Research has suggested that flooding is comparable to other treatments, including systematic and cognitive therapies in terms of effectiveness, however it is significantly quicker.
• This is a strength because patient are treated quicker and it more cost effective for health service providers.

Question 25

Flooding Evaluation: Weakness - Highly Traumatic.

Answer 25

• Although flooding is considered a cost-effective solution, it is highly traumatic for patients and causes a highly level of anxiety.
• Although patients provide informed consent, many do not complete their treatment because of the experience is too stressful and therefore flooding is sometimes a waste of time and money, if patients do not finish their therapy.
• Therefore flooding can be seen as an inappropriate treatment of phobias.

Question 26

Flooding Evaluation: Weakness - Not Effective For All Phobias.

Answer 26

• Although flooding is highly effective for simply (specific) phobias, the treatment is less effective for other types of phobia, including social phobia and agoraphobia.
• Some psychologists suggest that social phobias are caused by irrational thinking and are not caused by an unpleasant experience (or learning through classical conditioning).
• Therefore, more complex phobias cannot be treated by behaviourist treatments and may be more responsive to other forms of treatment, for example CBT, which treats the irrational thinking.

Question 27

Flooding Evaluation: Weakness - Another Phobia May Appear.

Answer 27

• A common criticism of flooding is that when one phobia disappears another may appear in its place.
• For example, a phobia of snakes might be replaced by a phobia of trains.
• This symptom substitution suggests that flooding is not effective at treating phobias.