phobias

• What are phobias characterized by?

  Extreme irrational fear
• What is required for a phobia to be formally diagnosed?

  It must impact the sufferer's life
• What are specific phobias?

  Phobias of animals, the dark, flying, or injury
• What are social phobias?

  Phobias related to interaction or performance
• What is agoraphobia?

  Fear of leaving a safe place
• What is a behavioral characteristic of phobias?

  Avoidance of anxiety-inducing situations
• How does avoidance affect everyday life for phobia sufferers?

  It can interfere significantly with daily activities
• What emotional characteristics are associated with phobias?

  Excessive and persistent fear or anxiety
• What cognitive characteristics are present in phobias?

  Irrational thoughts not changed by rational arguments
• How do phobias differ from psychotic disorders?

  Phobias recognize the excessive nature of fear
• What is the two-process model in behavioral explanations of phobias?

  Acquisition through classical conditioning and maintenance via operant conditioning
• What is the role of negative reinforcement in phobias?

  Avoiding the feared object reduces anxiety
• Who conducted the Little Albert experiment?

  Watson and Rayner
• What was the outcome of the Little Albert experiment?

  Albert developed a fear of furry objects
• What is the ethical concern regarding the Little Albert experiment?

  It caused distress without follow-up treatment
• What is systematic desensitization?

  A therapy involving gradual exposure to fear
• What is reciprocal inhibition in systematic desensitization?

  Anxiety and relaxation cannot coexist
• How long does systematic desensitization typically take?

  Approximately one month
• What is flooding therapy?

  Exposure to fear for an extended period
• What is a key feature of flooding therapy?

  Clients cannot use avoidance strategies
• What did McGrath et al (1990) find about phobia treatments?

  75% success rate with phobias
• What did Ost (1997) find about flooding therapy?

  It delivers rapid and sustained improvement
• What did Barlow (2002) conclude about flooding and systematic desensitization?

  Flooding is as effective as SD
• What did Al-Kubaisy et al (1992) find about self-administered therapy?

  It was as successful as therapist-guided therapy
• Why is behavioral therapy effective for children and those with learning difficulties?

  Clients do not need to understand their behavior
• Why are social phobias less effective with behavioral therapies?

  They may have cognitive elements needing CBT
• What is symptom substitution in phobias?

  New phobias may arise from untreated fears
• What ethical issues are associated with flooding therapy?

  Potential physical risks and distress to clients
• What is the importance of informed consent in therapy?

  Clients must agree to treatment risks
• What are the steps in systematic desensitization?

  1. Teach relaxation techniques
  2. Develop an anxiety hierarchy
  3. Gradually expose the client to feared objects
  4. Ensure relaxation between exposures
  5. Associate relaxation with the feared object
• What are the steps in flooding therapy?

  1. Teach relaxation techniques
  2. Expose the client to fear for 2-3 hours
  3. Prevent avoidance strategies
  4. Allow anxiety to decrease over time
  5. Recognize that feared outcomes do not occur
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of behavioral treatments for phobias?

  Strengths:

  • Effective for simple phobias
  • High success rates in studies
  • No need for understanding behavior

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Less effective for social phobias
  • Ethical concerns with flooding
  • Symptom substitution may occur