behavioral approach to treating phobias

• What is Systematic Desensitisation?

  Behavioural therapy to reduce phobic anxiety.
• What is the principle of classical conditioning in SD?

  Pairing phobic stimulus with relaxation instead of anxiety.
• What is counter-conditioning in SD?

  Learning a different response to the phobic stimulus.
• What is the fear hierarchy in SD?


  Ranking phobic situations from least to most terrifying.
• Give an example of a fear hierarchy.

  Looking at a picture of a dog: 30, Watching a cartoon dog show: 40, Watching a real‐life dog show: 50, Going to a park with a dog walker: 80, Stroking a dog: 90.
• How does SD progress through the fear hierarchy?


  Patient starts at the bottom and gradually moves up.
• When is SD considered successful?

  When the patient is completely relaxed in the most feared situation.
• What is relaxation training in SD?

  Teaching deep muscle relaxation and breathing exercises.
• What is reciprocal inhibition in SD?


  Inability to be both afraid and relaxed at the same time.
• What did Gilroy et al. (2002) study in relation to SD?

  Effectiveness of SD in treating arachnophobia.
• How many patients were examined in Gilroy et al. (2002) study?

  42 patients with arachnophobia.
• How many SD sessions were conducted in Gilroy et al. (2002) study?

  Three 45-minute sessions.
• What was the result of Gilroy et al. (2002) study?

  SD group showed less fear compared to control group.
• How long after treatment were the patients examined in Gilroy et al. (2002) study?

  Three months and 33 months later.
• What was the treatment for the control group in Gilroy et al. (2002) study?


  Only taught relaxation techniques.
• Why is systematic desensitization considered more costly than flooding?

  Because it takes more sessions.
• How many sessions does systematic desensitization typically take?

  6-8 sessions on average.
• Why does systematic desensitization take longer?

  Due to the anxiety hierarchy.
• Why is systematic desensitization considered more ethical than flooding?

  It causes less distress to patients.
• Why do patients prefer systematic desensitization?

  It does not cause the same levels of distress.
• What type of patients is systematic desensitization more appropriate for?

  Individuals with learning difficulties.
• What is a potential problem with the ecological validity of systematic desensitisation?


  Real-life situations may not be controlled like therapy sessions.
• What type of phobias is systematic desensitization less effective for?

  Social phobias and phobias which have not developed through a personal experience
• Why is systematic desensitization ineffective for certain phobias?

  Some phobias have an evolutionary survival benefit and are not learned.
• What is the result of certain phobias having an evolutionary basis?

  They are not effectively treated using systematic desensitisation.
• What is flooding?


  Immediate exposure to anxiety-inducing stimulus in therapy.
• How is flooding done?

  Intense exposure over an extended period of time in a safe and controlled manner.
• What happens when a person is unable to avoid their phobia in flooding?

  Anxiety levels eventually decrease.
• Why does extinction occur in flooding?

  Fear is a time-limited response that eventually subsides.
• What positive association can be created through flooding?

  A sense of calm and relief towards the stimulus.
• Give an example of flooding with a phobia of dogs.


  Placing a person with a dog phobia in a room with a dog and asking them to stroke it.
• What is important before a flooding session?

  Full informed consent and patient preparation.
• What choice is normally given to patients regarding flooding?

  Systematic desensitisation or flooding.
• How effective is flooding compared to other treatments?

  Equally effective to systematic desensitization and cognition therapies.
• What is a strength of flooding in terms of time?

  It takes less time to achieve positive results.
• Why is flooding more cost-effective for health service providers?

  It cures phobias more quickly, reducing funding needs.
• Why can flooding be unethical?

  It purposefully elicits high anxiety levels.
• Give an example of a case where flooding caused intense anxiety.

  Wolpe (1969) recalled a patient requiring hospitalisation due to intense anxiety.
• Why is initiating flooding treatment sometimes a waste of time and money?

  If patients do not engage in or complete the full course of their treatment.
• Why do many people not complete their treatment?

  The experience is too stressful.