systemic de & flooding

Question 1

systematic desensitisation

Answer 1

based on counterconditioning as patient is taught new association that runs counter to the original association

involves relaxation training and gradual exposure

Question 2

relaxation training

Answer 2

client is taught to relax using breathing exercises and muscle control

Question 3

gradual exposure

Answer 3

develop a fear heirarchy

therapist and client agree on stages of exposure to feared object that are increasingly unpleasant

client starts at lowest level, learns relaxation techniques and can only move up the hierarchy once completely relaxed in its presence, continues until fear no longer present

client learns to associate the object with relaxation rather than fear (classical conditioning)

Question 4

SD strength 1

Answer 4

strong supporting research evidence

Gilroy et al (2003)

followed 42 patients who recieved SD for their phobia of spiders and a control (treated by relaxation without exposure). At both the 3 and 33 month follow-ups, the SD group were less fearful than the control

suggests SD is an effective treatment for phobias, and that the effectiveness is long-lasting

Question 5

SD strength 2

Answer 5

more effective than other therapies

this is because SD is less traumatic than other behavioural therapies (flooding) as SD utilises gradual exposure and relaxation techniques

this is reflected in lower refusal and drop out (attrition) rates for SD

this suggests that the main features of SD (gradual exposure) makes it an effective therapy for phobias

Question 6

flooding

Answer 6

puts individual in situation where they are forced to face thier phobia immediately at its worst whilst practising relaxation techniques

1 long session that continues until patient is fully relaxed

vivo exposure - presenting fear itself
vitro exposure - involves imaginery exposure

Question 7

flooding strength

Answer 7

strong supporting research evidence

wolpe 1973

forced an adolescent girl with a fear of cars into the back of a care and drove her around continuously for four hours: her fear reached hysterical heights but then receded and, by the end of the journey had completely disappeared

suggests that although flooding may be initially distressing for the patient, it is an effective therapy if the patient remains in treament

Question 8

flooding limit

Answer 8

psychological harm

treatment involves subjecting clients to intense fear and anxiety, which they have the right not to experience

for example, flooding requires the client to visualise or experience intense feared situations; which might explain why drop out rates tend to be high for this therapy

suggests that other behavioural therapies such as SD may be more effective in treating phobias

Question 9

general 1

Answer 9

effectiveness depends on type of phobia

because behavioural therapies may only be clinically useful for simple or specific phobias

for example, some psychologists suggest that complex social phobias are caused by irrational thinking and are not caused by a negative experience

therefore, more complex phobias cannot be treated by behaviourist treatments and may be more responsive to other forms of treatment, e.g. CBT which treats irrational thinking

Question 10

general 2

Answer 10

criticised for symptom substitution

this is because behavioural treatments for phobias mainly focus on removing the symptoms of the phobia, rather than tackling the underlying causes

for example, a phobia of snakes may resurface as a phobia of cars as the treatment hasn’t resolved the underlying causations (e.g. irrational thinking)

suggests that therapies which consider the underlying causes of a phobia may be more useful for treating phobias