The Behavioural Approach to treating phobias Flashcards
(10 cards)
1
Q
What are the 2 main methods for treating phobias?
A
- systematic desensitisation (SD)
- flooding
2
Q
What is systematic desensitisation?
A
- behavioural therapy which gradually reduces phobic anxiety using classical conditioning
- if sufferer can learn to relax in response to their phobic stimulus they can be cured
- new response (relaxation) to the phobic stimulus is learnt instead of fear - counterconditioning
- reciprocal inhibition - you can’t feel relaxed & afraid at the same time so one emotion prevents the other
3
Q
What are the three processes involved in SD?
A
- anxiety hierarchy - list of situations related to the phobia which trigger anxiety in order from least to most frightening
- relaxation - therapist teaches the patient to relax with breathing exercises for mental imagery techniques or relaxation is brought about using a drug called Valium
- exposure - the patient is exposed to their phobic stimulus while in their relaxed state which takes place over many sessions following the anxiety hierarchy, the treatment is successful when the patient can stay relaxed in high anxiety situations of the hierarchy
4
Q
What is flooding?
A
- involves exposing the patients to their phobic stimulus without a gradual build-up
- it is the immediate exposure to a very frightening situation
- flooding sessions are usually longer than SD sessions - sometimes only one session is needed to cure the phobia
5
Q
How does flooding work?
A
- flooding stops phobic responses very quickly as the patient quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless without the option of avoidance
- in terms of classical conditioning this is called extinction - learned response is extinguished when CS is encountered without the UCS
- response to the CS no longer is CS of fear
6
Q
What are the ethics involved with flooding?
A
- flooding isn’t unethical but isn’t a pleasant experience so it’s important the patient gives informed consent to this traumatic experience and that they’re fully prepared for the session
- a patient would normally be given the choice of SD or flooding
7
Q
Evaluation (of SD): It is effective
A
- strength of SD is that it’s effective in the treatment of specific phobias
- e.g. Gilroy et al. followed up 42 patients who had been treated for a spider phobia in 2 45-minute sessions of SD
- phobia was assed with a questionnaire & by assessing a response to a spider
- control group was treated by relaxation without exposure
- after 3 & 33 months of the treatment the SD group were less afraid of spiders than the control group
- this is a strength as it shows that SD is helpful in reducing anxiety from specific phobias & the effects are long-term
8
Q
Evaluation: Not effective in treating all phobias
A
- SD can’t treat phobias which haven’t been developed through personal experience by classical conditioning
- e.g. fear of heights aren’t effectively treated using SD as they aren’t developed through experience but have an evolutionary survival benefit
- this means they are a result of evolution therefore there is no CS associated with UCS which triggers a fear response
- these phobias act as a limitation of SD as it’s ineffective in treating evolutionary phobias
9
Q
Evaluation (of flooding): It is cost-effective
A
- flooding is an effective method for treating specific phobias
- studies comparing flooding to cognitive therapies found that flooding is highly effective & quicker than alternatives
- this is a strength as it means that patients are free of their symptoms as soon as possible which also makes treatment cheaper
10
Q
Evaluation (of flooding): The treatment is traumatic for patients
A
- limitation of flooding is that it is a highly traumatic experience
- it’s not unethical as patients give their consent but most patients are often unwilling to see the sessions through to the end
- this is a limitation of flooding as time & money are often wasted preparing patients only to have them refuse to start or complete the treatment
