Psychopathology

• Behavioural characteristics of phobias:

  Panic:

  Involving range of behaviours such as screaming, crying and running away
• Behavioural characteristics of phobias:

  Endurance

  Individual remains in the presence of phobic stimulus yet still continues to experience high levels of anxiety
• Behavioural characteristics of phobia:

  avoidance

  People with phobias making a conscious effort to avoid contact with phobic stimulus
• Emotional characteristics of phobias:

  anxiety

  Prevents the individual from relaxing and difficulty in experiencing positive emotions
• emotional characteristics of phobias:

  Unreasonable emotional responses

  response To the phobic stimulus is beyond reasonable
• Cognitive characteristics of phobias:

  reduced concentration

  Inability to focus on completing tasks when in the presence of phobic stimulus
• Cognitive characteristics of phobias:

  irrational beliefs

  Irrational thoughts in relation to phobic stimulus eg spider will kill me
• Systematic desensitisation

  Behavioural therapy that uses classical conditioning to replace irrational anxiety and fears associated with a phobic stimulus via the incompatible response of relaxation
• Why systematic desensitisation works

  2 opposing emotions of fear and relaxation cannot be felt at the same time. Thus it uses classical conditioning to replace irrational fears with relaxation in presence of phobic stimulus. Relaxation technique used in each stage of exposure to phobic stimulus which increases in intensity.
• 3 processes involved in systematic desensitisation

  Anxiety hierarchy, relaxation, exposure
• anxiety hierachy

  situations with the phobic stimulus is introduced from least anxiety inducing to most anxiety inducing eg image of dog to being in a room with a dog
• relaxation

  therapists uses relaxation techniques to help calm patients such as breathing exersizes
• exposure

  it takes several sessions to gradually move up the anxiety hierachy.

  once they feel fully relaxed in lowest anxiety inducing level, they may move up.

  Treatment is successful if they can stay fully relaxed in the most anxiety inducing level.