Behaviourist Explanation of Phobias AO3

• +Real world application: exposure therapies. The distinctive element of the two process model is the idea that phobias are maintained by avoidance of the phobic stimulus. This is important in explaining why people with phobias benefit from being exposed to the stimulus. Once the avoidance behaviour is prevented it ceases to be reinforced by the experience of anxiety reduction and avoidance; it declines. The phobia is the avoidance behaviour so when avoidance is prevented, the phobia is cured. This shows the value of the two process approach; it identifies a means of treating phobias.
• -Cognitive aspects of phobias. Behavioural explanations are geared towards explaining behaviour: the key behaviour is avoidance of the phobic stimulus. But phobias aren’t simply avoidance response, they have a significant cognitive component. People hold irrational beliefs about the phobic stimulus; the two process model explains avoidance behaviour but it doesn't offer an adequate explanation for phobic cognitions. Therefore it doesn’t completely explain the symptoms of phobias.
• +Theres a link between traumatic experiences and phobias. The little Albert study illustrates how a frightening experience involving a stimulus can lead to a phobia of that stimulus. More systematic evidence comes from a study by Jongh who found that 75% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience, mostly involving dentistry (others were the victim of violent crime).
• +Theres a link between traumatic experiences and phobias (2). This can be compared to a control group of people with low dental anxiety where only 21% had experienced a traumatic event. This confirms that the association between stimulus (dentistry) and an unconditioned response (pain) does lead to the development of phobias.
• -There’s a link between traumatic experiences and phobias. Not all phobias appear following a bad experience. Snake phobias occur in populations where very few people have any experience of snakes. Not all frightening experiences lead to phobias. This means that the association between phobias and frightening experiences isn't as strong as we would expect if behavioural theories produced a complete explanation.