phobias

• phobias are an irrational and extreme fear of an object, situation or activity.
• behavioural characteristics are

  avoidance - if a person is presented with he thing they fear then they will try to get away from it.

  Panic - coming face to face with a phobia stimulus results in physical signs of fear ( shaking/screaming)

  Endurance - people experience the freeze response when in a state of fear
• cognitive characteristics are:

  selective attention - they are hyper focussed on the stimulus.

  irrational beliefs - might have unrealistic thoughts about phobic stimulus

  cognitive distortions - perceptions of the things they're scared of as distorted
• emotional characteristics are

  anxiety - unpleasant state of high emotions feeling worried or distressed

  fear - intense feelings of being scared

  excessive and unreasonable - anxiety and fear is out of proportion to the situation (overreacting)
• phobias take the behaviourist explanation suggesting phobias are learned through the 2 process model : classical and operant conditioning
• classical conditioning says we acquire a phobia through association as we associate a previously neutral stimulus with a UCS that produces fear leading to the NS becoming a CR of fear
• operant conditioning is maintaining a phobia through operant conditioning. Positive reinforcement as we may receive attention for showing fear resulting in shower fear more often. Negative reinforcement is avoiding something causing fear which takes away anxiety so you will avoid it more often.
• evaluating the behaviourist approach of phobias - it has supporting evidence Watson and Raynor found little albert associated the rabbit with fear due to loud noises. Suggests phobias are learned through association but don't tell us how they're maintained so it doesn't fully support the 2 way model. It has high validity due to supporting evidence however it is an unethical study
• evaluation of behaviourist approach of phobias - real life applications because systematic desensitisation suggests it has practical applications to treat phobias e.g. flooding to reduce the fear. It breaks the association with the UCS and the NS which reduces anxiety. Improves society due to diagnosis and treatments of other mental illnesses improving their quality of life as they can now make a difference to society
• evaluation of behaviourist approach of phobias - limitation is there's alternative explanations as the biological approach would suggest evolution plays a role in formation and maintenance of phobias because people will acquire it through the fight or flight response used years ago to defend against dangerous animals they were more likely to survive and passed the gene on. Lessens the validity of approaches explanation as it doesn't provide a full explanation on how all phobias are developed.
• The treatment of phobias is systematic desensitisation where they are gradually exposed to a stimulus until their anxiety goes. STEP 1 fear hierarchy patents are asked to rank the least anxiety provoking situation to the most. STEP 2 - relaxation techniques they practice breathing exercises yo stay calm. STEP 3 - exposure gradually exposed to phobic stimulus starting with the least to most scary thing while doing the relaxation techniques.
• evaluation of systematic desensitisation - strength is that its appropriate as it can be carried out using virtual reality. Meaning dangerous situations can be avoided(heights). Widely used as people feel safe whilst facing their phobia However its less effective for real exposure as it lacks realism so its not always useful.
• one strength of systematic desensitisation is that it has supporting evidence from Gilray et al. Found 42 people with arachnophobia were less fearful after 33 months with SD treatments than a breathing exercise treatment. Shows its affective and works quality of life will be improved for them and it enables them to work so it benefits the economy. However it was a small sample size so its not generalisable meaning its not representable of other phobias or ethnicities the supporting evidence doesn't explain how all phobias are treated so it weakens the validity.
• One limitation of systematic desensitisation is that it isn't cost effective because it needs 10 sessions top make the phobia gradually extinct and SD takes 1 to 2 sessions the implication is that it may not be appropriate for everyone suffering with phobias.
• flooding is a treatment where they immediately expose them to the fear. its based on the idea of extinction
• a strength of flooding is that its cost effective because its clinically effective in removing a phobia in only 1 session. Therapists use this as they can treat multiple phobias for little money which is an appropriate treatment for phobias
• a strength of flooding is that it has supporting evidence from Marshall et al 1977 they found flooding produced greater behavioural changes in reducing a phobia of snakes than SD. Means phobias can be treated quickly and effectively. Improves quality of life and economic implications as they can return to work however it may lack external validity because they were asked to imagine there most fearful state rather than encountering a snake meaning participants may not have done this correctly to avoid fear, weakening the effectiveness.
• one limitation of flooding is that it has ethical issues, as flooding is really traumatic meaning being exposed to a phobia at the highest level of anxiety could lead to high attrition(drop out rates) However they would've given consent and agreed to the stressful situations so its not completely unethical.