Psychological Explanation

Question 1

What is the underlying principle of the behavioural explanation?

Answer 1

That OCD is learnt through classical and operation conditioning

Question 2

What is the underlying principle of classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Learning through associations

Question 3

What is the underlying principle of operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Learning through consequences

Question 4

Provide an example of someone learning OCD through classical conditioning

Answer 4

A person whose OCD symptoms are to do with germs may have developed after touching someone thin unpleasant i.e touching a door handle smeared with something brown. The brown produces anxiety that is then associated with door handles

Question 5

Write a classical conditioning diagram below involving door handles and a brown substance

Answer 5

Brown substance (Unconditioned stimulus) ➡️ anxiety (unconditioned response)
Brown substance + door handle (ucs + neutral stimulus) ➡️ anxiety (unconditioned response)
Door handle (conditioned stimulus) ➡️ anxiety (conditioned response)

Question 6

How is OCD learned through operant conditioning?

Answer 6

The person adopts rituals which reduce anxiety. The behaviour is reinforced by the reduction of anxiety and are then repeated

Question 7

How must you explain classical conditioning in an exam?

Answer 7

You must write it out. Don’t draw the diagram.

Question 8

Provide an example of operant conditioning involving hand washing

Answer 8

A person believes washing their hands after touching a door handle prevents them from catching germs so they wash their hands afterwards which reduces anxiety. This behaviour is then repeated because they believe hand washing prevents them from catching germs. They then never touch a door handle without washing their hands afterwards and never learn to touch q handle and now pick up germs

Question 9

What is Mowrer’s two process model?

Answer 9

That fear of a specific stimuli is attained through classical conditioning and maintained by operant conditioning.

Question 10

How can you use Mowrer’s two process model?

Answer 10

As ao1 or ao2

Question 11

What studies support the behavioural explanation?

Answer 11

Skinner

Einstein and Menzie

Question 12

What did Skinner devise?

Answer 12

The superstition hypothesis

Question 13

What is the superstition hypothesis?

Answer 13

Where bodily actions become associated with reinforced through classical conditioning and thus are repeated

Question 14

What were Einstein and Menzie’s findings?

Answer 14

He found a correlation between magical thinking and OCD symptoms in 60 OCD patients using the magical ideation scale.

Question 15

What do Einstein and Menzie’s findings suggest?

Answer 15

There is a link between superstition and OCD, in line with Skinners superstition hypothesis

Question 16

What is the problem with the behavioural explanation?

Answer 16

Behaviourism explains compulsive behaviour characteristics of OCD but it does not explain obsessions and intrusive thoughts, weakening the explanation

Question 17

How is the behavioural approach as a whole weakened?

Answer 17

It does not explain obsessions and intrusive thoughts

Question 18

What are the explanations within the psychological approach?

Answer 18

Behavioural

Psychodynamic

Question 19

What is the underlying principle of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 19

That adult personality is heavily influenced by childhood experiences involving conflicts and fixations

Question 20

How can you use the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 20

As ao1 or ao2 - going to use it as ao2

Question 21

How do you introduce Freud when you use his theory as ao2?

Answer 21

However, other psychologists argue OCD develops as a result of early traumatic experiences and is not learned through conditioning processes

Question 22

What theory is used in the psychodynamic explanation?

Answer 22

Freud

Question 23

Explain the elements of Freud’s theory basically…

Answer 23

OCD stems from fixation at the anal stage at around 2 years old.

Conflict between id and super ego arises

The stronger the conflict the more likely the individual will have an anal-retentive personality

Question 24

What is the anal stage within Freud’s theory?

Answer 24

He claimed children derive pleasure from bowel movements and are exploring their sense of individuality hence the ‘terrible twos’

Question 25

Explain how a conflict between the id and superego arises according to Freud

Answer 25

During potty training the child has to be neat and clean as the parents wish, but their natural preference is to be messy and aggressive. Parental pressure makes the child feel guilty, ashamed and dirty. This gives rise to a conflict between the id (instinctive, selfish urges) and the superego (need for control and guilt). This is particularly the case as the ego is not fully developed.

Question 26

Why is conflict during the anal stage of fixation a particular problem?

Answer 26

Because the ego is not fully developed at this stage

Question 27

How do conflicts result in an anal-retentive personality?

Answer 27

If the conflicts are too strong and parents are too strict issues in this stage can carry into adulthood. The person has an obsessive unconscious desire to be messy but their conscious ego forces them to be neat and tidy.