the behavioural approach to treating phobias

Question 1

systematic desensitisation

Answer 1

• behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce anxiety through classical conditioning
• if a person can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus they will be cured
• essentially, a new response to the stimulus is learned (relaxation), this is called counterconditioning

3 process involved -
1. anxiety hierarchy is put together by client and therapist, a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety, arranged in order from least to most frightening
2. relaxation, therapist teaches the client to relax as much as possible, this prevents the fear emotion (reciprocal inhibition), you cannot relax and be afraid at the same time (can’t be in both parasympathetic and sympathetic states) this might involve breathing exercises or mental imagery techniques etc.
3. exposure, the client is exposed to the phobic stimulus whilst in a relaxed state, taking place across several sessions and starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy, moving up once the client can stay relaxed, treatment is successful when the client can stay relaxed in situations high on the hierarchy

Question 2

flooding

Answer 2

• exposing people to their phobic stimulus but involves immediate exposure to a very frightening situation
• sessions usually last longer than SD ones, but sometimes only one session is needed to cure the phobia

how it works - without the option of avoidance behaviour, the client quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless (extinction), result is that conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response

ethical safeguards - unpleasant experience so it is important that clients give informed consent, client is normally given choice of SD or flooding

Question 3

evaluation of SD - evidence of effectiveness

Answer 3

• Gilroy followed up 42 people who had had SD for a spider phobia in three 45 minute sessions
• at both 3 and 33 months later, this group were less fearful than a control group treated by relaxation without exposure
• likely to be helpful for people with phobias

Question 4

evaluation of SD - people with learning disabilities

Answer 4

• can be used to treat people with learning difficulties
• main alternatives to SD are not suitable, as people with learning difficulties often struggle with cognitive therapies that require a high level of rational thought, and they may often feel confused and distressed by the traumatic experience of flooding
• SD is often most appropriate treatment for people with learning difficulties

Question 5

evaluation of flooding - cost-effective

Answer 5

• a therapy is cost-effective if it is clinically effective and not expensive
• flooding can work in as little as one session as apposed to maybe 10 for SD to achieve the same result
• people can be treated at the same cost with flooding than with SD or other therapies

Question 6

evaluation of flooding - traumatic

Answer 6

• limitation is it is a highly unpleasant experience
• provokes tremendous anxiety, Schumacher found that participants and therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful than SD
• raises the ethical issue for psychologists of knowingly causing stress to their clients
• however this is not a serious issue if they obtain informed consent
• the traumatic nature also means that attrition (dropout) rates are much higher than for SD
• overall, therapists may avoid using this treatment