treating phobias - behavioural approach Flashcards
What is systematic desensitisation and how is it used to treat phobias?
(you can’t treat the phobia if you’re always avoiding it as you cannot be conditioned to learn that the stimulus isn’t fearful, so S.D gradually introduces you to the feared stimulus)
• counterconditioning - teaching the patient to develop a new condition to counteract the previously learned one (the phobia)
- teach them to associate the phobic stimulus with relaxation and not fear
• relaxation - teach the patient relaxation techniques e.g slow deep breaths
• desensitisation hierarchy - gradually introducing them to their fear e.g a picture of a spider, a spider from far away, spider up close, until full relaxation of the familiar situation
Evaluation of systematic desensitisation
(+) effective for a range of phobic disorders - McGrath et al - 75% of patients with phobias respond to S.D
(-) not appropriate treatment for all phobia’s, e.g may be fine for phobias acquired by personal experience (dogs) but not ones that have underlying evolutionary survival components e.g fear of heights or the dark
(+) fast, simple, require less effort than other therapies
(+) Humphrey - it can be self-administered
Evaluation of Flooding
(-) individual differences i.e it’s not for everyone, some may find it extremely traumatic
(+) effective if carried out properly and fairly quick
(+) Choy et al - more effective than S.D
What is flooding and how is it used to treat phobias?
It’s an alternative to the gradualness of S.D, it is where the patient is exposed to the worst of their fear while practising relaxation. The session continues until they are fully relaxed in the presence of their phobia.
