Systematic Desensitisation

Question 1

Systematic Desensitisation:

Answer 1

• Behavioural therapy made by Wolpe (1958) to reduce phobias using classical conditioning.
• SD replaces the fear and anxiety felt when having a phobia with relaxed responses.
• The central idea of SD is that it is impossible to experience two opposite emotions at the same time - reciprocal inhibition
• Counter conditioning occurs if a person can learn to remain relaxed in the presence of their phobia

Question 2

Stages of Systematic Desensitisation:

Answer 2

Hierarchy of fear, relaxation techniques and gradual exposure

Question 3

Hierarchy of fear:

Answer 3

• The client and therapist work together to form a hierarchy of fear where they rank the phobic situation from most to least terrifying

Question 4

Relaxation techniques:

Answer 4

• Patients are taught deep muscle relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) and the relaxation response.
• PMR: tense up muscles, hold tightly in state of extreme tension for a few seconds, relax to previous state
• Relaxation Resp: sit quietly and comfortably and close their eyes, start by relaxing muscles of foot and work their way up, breathe deeply and meditate

Question 5

Gradual exposure:

Answer 5

• Patient in introduced to their phobic object gradually and they work their way up the hierarchy of fear.
• Learn to use relaxation techniques whilst they are exposed to the phobic object
• When they feel comfortable in one stage, you move up
• Eventually through repeated exposure to phobic objects with relaxation and no fear, phobia is eliminated but it takes many therapy sessions

Question 6

Eval of SD: Jones (1924) supports the use of SD..

Answer 6

..to eradicate ‘Little Peter’s phobia. A white rabbit was presented to Little Peter at gradual closer distances and each time his anxiety level decreased. Eventually developed affection for the rabbit

Question 7

Eval of SD: Klosko et al (1990) supports the use of SD..

Answer 7

He assessed various therapies for the treatment of panic disorders and found that

• 87% of patients were panic free after receiving SD
• compared to 50% on medication
• 36% on a placebo and 33% receiving no treatment

Question 8

Eval of SD: It is a less traumatic therapy than flooding..

Answer 8

..where patients have to confront their phobias directly. Therefore SD has less ethical implications and it is less upsetting for the person to endure

Question 9

Eval of SD: It is not effective in treating all phobias as..

Answer 9

..patients with phobias which have not developed through classical conditioning (personal experience), like heights, are not effectively treated.

• Some psychologists believe that certain phobias have an evolutionary survival benefit and are not a results of personal experience, but the result of evolution.
• These phobias highlight a limitation of SD which is ineffective in treating evolutionary phobias