Link to behaviouralist assumption

• The behaviouralist approach assumes the underlying cause of all normal behaviour is through learning (conditioning) . There are two types classical and operant
• The approach assumes cause if abnormal behaviour is a result of maladaptive or faulty learning. A person with a phobia could become classically conditioned to associate fear with a particular stimulus such as spiders . Because of this the individual will actively avoid situations where they may be exposed to the phobia , the avoidance acts as a reinforcement
• The aim of systematic desensitisation is to break down faulty maladaptive learning and help person re learn more of a functional response. This is achieved using the principles of classical conditioning. Systematic desensitisation aims to gradually and systematically break down faulty association (fear) and replace it with a more functional response ( relaxation )this is known as counter conditioning
• Operant conditioning is also key to this therapy as the client progresses through an anxiety hierarchy . At each point they begin to feel more and more relaxed at the presence of a phobic object therefore this experience becomes reinforcing . This positive reinforcement encourages client to keep moving up hierarchy until they no longer associate fear but rather relaxation with phobic object.