Pyschopathology: Treating Phobias Flashcards
How to treat a phobia with flooding?
Therapists expose the patient to the phobic stimulus for an extended period of time in a safe environment. Therapists offer little assistance to help patient relax and manage their fear long enough for the treatment to work. Therapy ends when the patient can remain calm in the room.
Define Phobic Stimulus.
What the patient is afraid of.
How to treat a phobia with systematic desensitisation?
First create an anxiety hierarchy which involves the client making a list of all the stimuli associated with their phobia that produce anxiety, from least to most. Next is relaxation training, where the therapist teaches the patient relaxation techniques. Finally, exposure to each stage of their hierarchy. Whilst ensuring they use the relaxation techniques.
Define Anxiety Hierarchy.
a list of all the stimuli associated with their phobia that produce anxiety.
What are two similarities of Systematic desensitisation and Flooding?
- Effective as they prevent avoidance> which maintains a phobia.
- Examples of counterconditioning
Define Counterconditioning.
An undesirable conditioned response to fear disappears as it is replaced by a more desirable conditioned response of relaxation.
Why is flooding more cost effective than SD?
Flooding often only requires one session to cure the patient of their phobia, whereas SD will often require multiple sessions as it is a gradual process.
Why is flooding seen as more unethical than SD?
Flooding is seen as more unethical due to the intense psychological distress whereas SD is less traumatic.
Why are Behavioural therapies not the most effective treatments for all phobias?
Research has shown that social phobias have been more effectively treated by cognitive therapies, presumably because social phobias have a substantial cognitive element ( irrational thoughts about the dangers ). Behavioural therapies are less effective for phobias as they only address a persons behavioural response to the feared stimulus. This could suggest that behavioural therapies aren’t the most effective treatment for all phobias as they ignore a significant element of having a phobia, which is the cognition. They must also take into account how we think as well as how we behave.
What is the research support for systematic desensitisation?
Gilroy found that patients with arachnophobia who were treated with SD experienced greater reductions in their fear from spiders than those who didn’t receive any treatment. Moreover, the reduction in the patients’ fear was found 33 months later proving that SD has long term benefits. Gilory’s findings are especially compelling as the study uses a control group, improving the internal validity.
What is the research that suggests there is an effectiveness of flooding as a treatment for phobias?
Wolpe forced an adolescent girl with a fear of cars into a car and although the fear reached hysterical heights, by the end the phobia had disappeared. This shows the treatment to be effective. However due to the sample size, generalising the participant is unrepresentative. Similarly, the experiment may be unethical due to the fact this can cause psychological harm.
