Lesson 7 - Behavioural Approach To Treating Phobias Flashcards
1
Q
Systematic desensitisation
A
- Developed by Wolpe (1958)
- The central idea is that you annoy feel fear and relaxation the same time (reciprocal inhibition)
- It involves the patient and therapist devising a hierarchy of fear around the phobic object. It can start with a relatively low intensity activity about their object, all the way up to direct exposure.
- They are taught deep muscle relaxation techniques
- They can only move onto the next activity when they are entirely comfortable with the current one
2
Q
Jones (1924)
A
- Supports SD
- He experimented on “Little Peter” and his fear of white rabbits. He was exposed to it and gradually closer distances until his fear and anxiety was gone.
- This new affection was generalised for all white, fluffy objects
3
Q
Klosko et al (1990)
A
- Supports SD
- 87% panic free after SD
- 50% after medication
- 36% after a placebo
- 33% after no treatment
- Shows that SD is more effective than other treatments
4
Q
Strengths of SD
A
Less traumatic than other forms of treatment like flooding
5
Q
Weaknesses of SD
A
- Not always practical to arrange
- Can be expensive and can take a while
- Can result in symptom substitution as it does not combat the root cause of phobias.
- if done virtually (imagination) the patient could easily be lying or faking
6
Q
Ost (1997)
A
- Supports flooding
- States it is an effective and rapid treatment and can deliver immediate improvements. Especially if exposure is carried out outside of therapy time.
7
Q
Strengths of flooding
A
- Cheaper than SD and much quicker, only takes a few hours
8
Q
Weaknesses of flooding
A
- Less effective at curing social phobias
- can be highly traumatic, and can result in the patient not wanting to continue, and it being a waste of time and money