Behavioural Approach to Explaining Phobias

• :( environmental reductionism

  > reduces complex behaviour of phobias down to simple basic units of learning phobias through stimulus, response and associations

  > neglects a holistic approach, which would take into account social and cultural context

  > e.g. the extreme fear of displeasing others is relative to the culture of Japan (collectivist culture)

  > lacks validity - does not allow us to understand behaviour in context
• :) practical applications

  > phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning, so can be unlearnt

  > this theory has been used to create systematic desensitisation - works by associating the phobic stimulus with relaxation instead of fear

  > important part of applied psychology
• :) RTS Ad De Jongh

  > 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic experience, mostly involving dentistry - compared to a control group with low dental anxiety (only 21% with traumatic experience)

  > confirms an association between a stimulus and an unconditioned response that leads to the development of a phobia