Psychopathology -> Phobias Flashcards
Panic:
The person might panic in the presence of the phobic object. They might show behaviours such as crying, running, or screaming
Avoidance:
The person with a phobia may avoid going to places where the phobic object could be encountered. This can interfere with the person’s normal daily life.
Endurance:
The person may remain in the presence of the phobic object frozen and unable to move.
Fear:
Feelings of terror/feeling scared in the presence of the phobic object.
Anxiety:
When they encounter their phobic object the person with a phobia experiences feelings of worry/distress and is uncertain and apprehensive about what is going to happen next.
Irrational Beliefs:
The person’s thoughts about their phobia do not make logical sense, and they will resist rational arguments that counter it.
Distorted Perceptions:
People with a phobia perceive their phobic object in a way that is not consistent with reality.
Selective Attention:
When the person encounters the phobic object, they will become fixated on it because of their irrational beliefs about the danger posed.
Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is learning through association. A stimulus produces the same response as another stimulus because they have been consistently presented at the same time. This could be how phobias develop, as the stimulus the person is afraid of has, in the past, been associated with another frightening stimulus.
Little Albert
Watson and Raynor managed to give an infant boy (‘Little Albert’), a phobia of a white rat. Initially Albert had been keen to play with the rat. Watson and Raynor did this by striking a metal bar behind his head every time Albert reached for the rat. The loud noise startled Albert and made him cry. Eventually Albert cried every time he saw the rat. He also became afraid of other white fluffy objects.
Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is learning through the consequences of one’s behaviour.
Positive Reinforcement: The behaviour leads to a reward.
Negative Reinforcement: The behaviour stops something unpleasant.
Punishment – The behaviour leads to something unpleasant.
The avoidance of a phobic object reduces fear and so is a form of reinforcement. This is an example of negative reinforcement (escaping from something unpleasant).
Strengths of the Two-Process model
Does not stigmatise people
Responses that can be corrected
&
Several case studies
Traumatic experiences
Weaknesses of the Two-Process model
Does not explain how all phobias develop
&
Have not had a negative experience
Dog phobia
Systematic Desensitisation
behavioural therapy
classical conditioning
replaces fear and anxiety
two opposite emotions
reciprocal inhibition
counter-conditioning
Anxiety Hierarchy:
A hierarchy of fear is constructed by the therapist and the patient. Situations involving the phobic object are ranked from least fearful to most fearful.
Relaxation Training:
Patients are taught deep muscle relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscular relaxation. The idea behind PMR is to tense up a group of muscles, hold them in a state of extreme tension for a few seconds and then relax the muscles. They then start by relaxing the muscles of their feet and work up their body. While doing this they are asked to breathe deeply, meditate and imagine relaxing situations.
Gradual Exposure:
The patient is introduced to their phobic object and they work their way up the anxiety hierarchy starting with the least frightening stage. They use their relaxation techniques whilst they are exposed to the phobic object. When they feel comfortable with one particular stage of the hierarchy they move on to the next stage in the hierarchy. Eventually through repeated exposure to phobic objects with relaxation and no fear, the phobia is eliminated.
Strengths of SD
Eradicated Little Peters phobia
&
Less traumatic than flooding
Vulnerable individuals
Weaknesses of SD
Time-consuming
&
Not appropriate for generalised phobias
Flooding
directly exposing the patient
relaxation techniques
anxiety hierarchy
stops phobic responses very quickly
avoidance behaviour
extinction
exhausted
Ethical
fully informed consent
2-3 hours
Strengths of flooding
Remove fear of cats
&
Cost-effective
Weaknesses of flooding
More complex phobias
&
Highly traumatic experience
