Therapy
Cards (7)
- What is the behaviourist approach therapy?Systematic desensitisation - developed by Wolpe (1958) and used to treat phobias.Based on the principles that fear responses are learnt and can therefore be unlearnt (counterconditioned).
- What are the main components of SD?• Client given training in relaxation techniques.• Therapist & client construct an anxiety hierarchy.• Client gradually works their way through the hierarchy, utilising the relaxation techniques. Due to reciprocal inhibition (two opposing emotions cannot be felt at the same time) they should after a while be able to visualise the stressful situation while remaining relaxed.• Client moves on to the next stage of the hierarchy when they are relaxed.
- Lang & Lazovik (1963)Used SD with students who had a snake phobia. Over 11 sessions they worked through a hierarchy. The participants fear rating fell between the beginning and end of the sessions. SD was found to be effective for most and improvement was still evident 6 months later.
- Rothbaum et al (2000)Used virtual reality (vitro) to help those who were afraid of flying. Following SD treatment, 93% of participants agreed to take a test flight. Anxiety levels were lower than those of a control group who had not received SD and this improvement was maintained.
- McGrath (2000)Found that SD is successful for a wide range of anxiety disorders, with 75% of patients with phobias responding to treatment.Used SD with a 9 year old girl who had a noise phobia. A fear thermometer was used (1-10). Her fear rating dropped from 7 to 3 for balloons popping, from 9 to 3 for party poppers and from 8 to 5 for cap guns.
- SD is ineffectiveNot suitable for ancient fears. These are fears that we have been genetically programmed to have because they threaten our survival.Does not the actual cause of the fear. Eg psychodynamic approach argues phobias develop because of projection (eg Freud & Little Hans).
- SD is ethicalClient led.No side effects (compared to drug therapy).