phobias

• a phobia is an extreme fear of an object/situation or an activity
• phobias are usually classified as an irrational fear
• this is fear that is disproportionate to the actual danger
• a fear that leads to avoidance and is disruptive to everyday life is also classified as a phobia
• two of the most commonly known phobias are arachnids and claustrophobia
• the three behavioural characteristics to phobias are:

  • avoidance
  • panic
  • failure to function
• the two emotional characteristics to phobias are:

  • anxiety
  • fear
• the two cognitive characteristics to phobias are:

  • irrational thoughts
  • reduced cognitive capacity
• avoidance - physically adapting normal behaviour to avoid phobic objects e.g. crossing the street
• panic - an uncontrollable physical response and it’s most likely to happen at the sudden appearance of the phobic object e.g. screaming, hyperventilating, running
• failure to function - difficulty taking part in activities required to perform a normal life e.g. going to work/education/social events
• anxiety - an uncomfortably high and persistent state of arousal, making it difficult to relax
• fear - an intense emotional state linked to the fight or flight response, a sensation of extreme and unpleasant alertness in the presence of the phobia
• irrational thoughts (fears) - negative and irrational mental processes that include an exaggerated belief in the harm the phobic object could cause them
• reduced cognitive capacity - people with a phobia cannot concentrate on day-to-day activities such as work due to the excessive attentional focus on the phobic objects
• the two process model includes both operant and classical conditioning
• phobias are acquired through classical conditioning (learning through association)
• phobias are maintained through operant conditioning (learning from consequences/reinforcement)
• a phobic objects starts as a neutral stimulus, it causes a neutral response, so there is no response
• an unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned fear response. unconditional stimulus response links are automatic; they don’t need to be learnt
• an association is formed when a neutral stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus. the object becomes a conditioned stimulus, now producing the conditioned response
• phobias can be generalised, so a conditioned fear response is also experienced in the presence of stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus, so fear of bees could be generalised to other small flying insects
• operant conditioning is a form of learning that occurs through learning the consequences of our actions
• a person with a phobia is aware of their phobia and will try to avoid the phobic object and the situations that put them contact with it
• this avoidance behaviour leads to a reduction in anxiety which is a pleasant sensation this reinforcement strengthens the phobia, making the person more likely to avoid the phobic object in the future
• AO3(research support):

  • watson and reiner (1920) when introduced to a rat for the first time, a young child called little albert showed no phobic response
  • however watson paired the rat with hitting a large metal pole behind a child’s head, creating a loud noise and scaring the child
  • a phobic response formed, and the rat produced a fear response, demonstrating phobias can be acquired through association
  • little albert also showed generalisation, displaying a fear response to other similar objects such as small dogs
• AO3(usefulness):

  • the two process model was a step forward when it was proposed in 1960 as it went beyond the concept of classical conditioning
  • it explained how phobias can be maintained over time and this had important implications for therapies
  • because it explains why patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus
• AO3(limitations):

  • cc and oc are an incomplete explanation of phobias
  • as there are certain aspects of phobias behaviour that require further explaining
  • for example, evolutionary factors might have an important role in phobias but mower’s model does not take this into account
• behaviourist therapies assume phobias are learnt associations and attempt to replace the fear association with relaxation
• reciprocal inhibition - fear and relaxation are two antagonistic emotions, as you can’t feel two opposite emotions simultaneously, if the therapist can help the client hold the phobic object without fear, they have been successfully counter conditioned
• systematic desensitisation: