Phobias! Copy PDF

What is a phobia? An irrational, fearful anxiety response to specific objects or situation. We all show fear reactions in threatening situations (this is sensible!) but a phobic person shows a marked and persistent fear which is out of proportion to the danger. The phobic person recognises that this...

What is a phobia? An irrational, fearful anxiety response to specific objects or situation. We all show fear reactions in threatening situations (this is sensible!) but a phobic person shows a marked and persistent fear which is out of proportion to the danger. The phobic person recognises that this is beyond voluntary control and is unreasonable. 5-10% of the UK population have some form of phobia. http://psychtutor.weebly.com/anxiety-disorders-phobias1.html https://www.annabellepsychology.com/specific-phobia Defining characteristics of phobias Feelings of restlessness and dread Irrational thinking about the phobic object Shortness of breath. Nausea. Shaking. Fight/Flight. Headaches and palpitations Panic and running away Avoidance of the phobic object Extreme anxiety / fear when seeing the phobic object Complete your ‘phobic person’ outline….  Types of phobia Specific - e.g. animals e.g. snakes / natural environment e.g. heights / blood-injection / situational e.g. planes Social - inappropriate anxiety in social situations e.g. restaurants / meetings. Agoraphobia - anxious when in a situation they cannot leave e.g. crowd / open spaces. https://www.verywellmind.com/list-of-phobias-2795453 Behavioural explanations of phobias Mowrer's two-process model = Classical conditioning (explains the acquisition of the phobias i.e. how we get it) plus Operant conditioning (explains how we maintain the phobia i.e. why we continue to suffer with it)... Little albert (watson and raynor, 1920) Watson’s Theory of Behaviourism The Little Albert Experiment Classical conditioning Phobias are acquired by associating a neutral stimulus with a fear response. This is know as classical conditioning. UCS > UCR UCS + NS > UCR (repeated many times) CS > CR Classical conditioning Phobias are acquired by associating a neutral stimulus with a fear response. UCS (loud noise) > UCR (fear) UCS (loud noise) + NS (white rat) > UCR (fear) CS (white rat) > CR (fear) Operant conditioning Operant Conditioning maintains the phobia once it has developed: The fear is unpleasant So, we avoid it / escape it This avoidance reduces anxiety levels and is rewarding So, anxiety avoidance acts as negative reinforcement And the feeling of calm we gain is positive reinforcement. So, we do this more i.e. avoid the phobic object/situation. Behavioural explanation recap With a partner: Jo has a phobia of flying. Using a whiteboard, explain Jo’s phobia of flying from a behaviourist perspective. Imagine what may have occurred to acquire the phobia and consider how the phobia is now maintained … Explain jo’s phobia of flying…. Explanation: Classical conditioning is how an individual acquires a fear, in Jo’s case she may have acquired her fear of flying from turbulence of a past plane ride. The unconditioned stimulus (the turbulence) with her unconditioned response (fear of flying). This unconditioned stimulus (the turbulence) paired with the neutral stimulus (the plane) creates her unconditional response (fear of flying). This then caused the conditioned stimulus (the plane) to create a conditioned response (fear of flying). Operant conditioning is the maintenance of the fear. Jo has a maintained fear of flying, an example can be Jo’s avoidance of flying. Her avoidance is a negative reinforcement to the stimulus of the plane as she chooses to stay away from the airport and uses other transportation methods like trains instead. Jo has a continuous fear of flying on planes (aerophobia). The interesting idea of preparedness… Interestingly, we may be more ready to acquire some phobias than others, according to psychologist Martin Seligman. Our evolutionary past has primed us to be wary of potentially dangerous things in order to survive. We may be more biologically prepared to react anxiously to those things that threatened our ancestors. E.g. snakes, heights, the dark. This may explain why there is not always an ‘event’ that leads to the onset of a phobia. Evaluation of the behavioural explanation of phobia There is empirical support for the behavioural explanation of phobias. It seems that a fear response can be conditioned. (Watson and Rayner / Bandura and Rosenthal - pg73) However, not every phobic individual has experienced a triggering event. (DiNardo et al - pg74) So, while the two-process model helps us to explain phobias, there are certainly alternative explanations too. (The behavioural approach ignores cognitive explanations; we may suffer irrational thinking rather than association. This would be useful as we could use CBT to then help the phobic person). Treating phobias - the behavioural approach Systematic desensitisation - Wolpe (1958). This is basically counterconditioning. We cannot simultaneously be in a state of relaxation and fear. This is called reciprocal inhibition. 1. Teach the sufferer relaxation techniques 2. Develop a hierarchy of fear 3. Think about / imagine / be presented with the items on the list, slowly and progressively i.e progressive exposure. 4. Associate each step with deep relaxation. Treating phobias - the behavioural approach Flooding Put the phobic individual in a situation where they are forced to confront their fear. This inescapable exposure lasts until the fear response disappears. There is a limit to how long the body can sustain a fear response; so, the assumption is that as the physical response reduces, so does the anxiety. So, the session must not end before the anxiety is reduced! In vivo (live) exposure is best. Though in vitro (imaginary or implosion therapy) is sometimes necessary. This therapy is based on the principle of Extinction; that is, that the association made between the CS and the CR is broken, rather than it being changed (as is the case with counterconditioning). A video to help you further…. How to TREAT Phobias | Systematic Desensitisation & Flooding | AQA Ps ychology | A-level Evaluation of behavioural therapies Behavioural therapies work well when you can clearly identify the situation/object as the source of the phobia. Individuals must be highly motivated to take part. Even though there are ethical concerns with Flooding, research suggests negative side effects at only 0.2%. SD has been shown to be more effective than implosion therapy in the treatment of a phobia of mice. Implosion therapy seemed no more effective than ‘no therapy’. Explain the alternative e.g. biological treatment such as benzodiazepines or beta-blockers, which physiologically reduce the anxiety of a phobia without the emotional stress of flooding or the time-consuming nature of SD.