SD and flooding Flashcards
What are behavioural therapies?
Involve exposure to the object/situation involved in the phobia
What are 2 examples of behaviours therapies?
Systematic desensitisation and flooding
What is involved in SD?
It involves slow and gradual exposure
What is involved in flooding?
Fast and massive exposure
What are the 3 components of behavioural therapies?
Classical conditioning, reciprocal inhibition and operant conditioning
What is the use of classical conditioning?
It is used so patients can learn a new response to the phobic stimulus
What is the use of reciprocal inhibition?
It is impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so relaxation prevents anxiety
What is the use of operant conditioning?
It prevents avoidance behaviour so cannot be maintained
What is a patient taught in systematic desensitisation?
The patient is taught how to relax their muscles completely
What are the steps of SD?
Therapist and patient together construct an anxiety hierarchy which they gradually work through. Once one step is masted, they move onto the next step until they can master the most anxiety-provoking item while remaining completely relaxed
What is the process of flooding?
A small number or just one long session where the patient repeatedly and constantly experiences the phobic stimulus until they are no longer phobic
Why does SD work?
By counterconditioning
What is counterconditioning?
The phobic stimulus is paired with a relaxing stimulus until it triggers relaxation, not anxiety
Why does flooding work?
Extinction
What is extinction?
The conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus until it no longer triggers a response as it cannot be avoided
