treating phobias Flashcards
(17 cards)
what is systematic desensitisation?
a behavioural therapy technique used to treat phobias + anxiety disorders by gradually exposing individuals to feared stimuli while simultaneously practicing relaxation techniques.
what is systematic desensitisation based on?
classical conditioning
how does systematic desensitisation work?
a learned association (fear) is replaced by a new association (relaxation) - this is known as counter conditioning, where a maladaptive response is placed by a more functional response
what is the process of systematic desensitisation?
a list of feared stimuli is created, ranking from least to most anxiety provoking ( desensitisation hierarchy).
individual learns relaxation techniques let. deep breathing
individual is gradually exposed to stimuli starting with the least anxiety provoking stimuli
what is reciprocal inhibition?
when a non-anxiety producing response ( like relaxation ) is paired with a stimulus that triggers anxiety, the anxiety response is weakened or eliminated.
what is a strength of systematic desensitisation in treating phobias?
it is a widely used and effective behavioural therapy for treating phobias. McGrath et al (1990) found that 75% of patients were successfully tested using it.
what is a weakness of systematic desensitisation?
it isn’t effective in treating all phobias. patients with phobias that haven’t developed through personal experience ( classical conditioning ) e.g. heights aren’t effectively treated using systematic desensitisation. some believe this is due to the fears having evolutionary benefits.
what is flooding?
the sudden exposure to the phobic conditioned stimulus which is designed to extinguish the fear.
which is more used, flooding or systematic desensitisation?
systematic desensitisation
what is extinction in flooding?
outline two strengths of flooding as a treatment for phobias.
- it is cheap as fewer sessions are needed
2.extinction suggests that exposing a person to a feared stimulus will result in their fear being diminished
explain the weakness of flooding as a treatment for phobias regarding its ethics.
it can be traumatic for the patient, and although informed consent will have been given, it may still be ethically compromised. schumaker et al (2015) found both patients and therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful than sd.
explain the weakness of flooding as a treatment for phobias regarding its effectiveness.
it is less effective with more complex phobias, such as social phobias which involve a variety of different interpersonal interactions dependent on the situation, demands in social situations take some skill + training which flooding cannot offer.
what evidence suggests that flooding is more effective than systematic desensitisation?
- kaplan (2011) - 65% of patients who had one session of flooding for a specific phobia showed no symptoms 4 years later.
- anderson (2013) found that virtual reality + traditional flooding were equally as effective.
what did kaplan (2011) find?
65% of patients who had one session for flooding for a specific phobia showed no symptoms 4 years later.
what evidence suggest that systematic desensitisation is more effective than flooding?
- denholtz (1978) found that 60% of patients with a flying phobia were still flying 3 years later.
- gilroy (2003) followed 42 patients with a spider phobia. the control group only had relaxation with no spider exposure. 33 months later, the original group were less fearful than the control group.
- mcgrath (1990) found that 75% of patients responded to sd, especially if they had contact with their fear.
