[Psychopathology] Topic 5 - Behavioural approach to treating phobias

Question 1

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 1

• Systematic desensitisation uses counter conditioning to replace fear with relaxation and is based on reciprocal inhibition ( a person cannot simultaneously be relaxed and anxious
  1) Anxiety hierarchy put together (From picture to seeing the real thing)
  2) Relaxation (Therapist teachers the patient to relax as deeply as possible either imaging them selves or using Valium)
  3) Exposure (Patient exposed to the phobic stimulus while in the relaxed state, can take several sessions)

Question 2

Flooding

Answer 2

• Involves a single exposure to the most feared situation either in a virtual environment or in real life for a few hours. Intense fear is initially experienced, the fear response is eventually extinguished
• Flooding stops phobic responses very quickly without the options avoidance behaviour, Classical conditioning terms this extinction.
• Ethical safeguards, informed consent what they’re gonna go through

Question 3

Evaluation 1

Answer 3

• SD is effective in treating a range of phobias.
• For example, McGrath et al reported that about 75% of phobics respond to SD.
• Success appears to lie with actual contact with the feared stimulus
• This means that in vito (irl) techniques are better than those using pictures or imagining the feared stimulus (in vitro)

Question 4

Evaluation 2

Answer 4

• Flooding is also effective to those who choose it and stick to it
• For example. Craske et al concluded that flooding and SD were effective in treating phobias.
• Choy et al also agreed that both therapies were effective in reducing the symptoms of phobias.
• However they also found that flooding was more effective than SD at treating phobias.