Phobias

• Definition of phobias 


  -type of anxiety disorder

  -primary symptom is extreme anxiety

  -phobias are an irrational fear that produce a conscious avoidance of the feared object or situation
• Characteristics of phobias can be divided into 3 sections

  1.emotional characteristics (how the feel)

  2.behavioural characteristics (how they behave)

  3.cognitive characteristics (how they think)
• Emotional characteristics 


  Unreasonable, excessive & persistent fear

  feelings of anxiety and panic

  these feelings are bought on by the presence or thought of a specific object or situation

  these feelings are out of proportion to the actual danger proposed
• Behavioural characteristics 


  Avoidance of situation or object that’s source of fear

  or opposite behaviour of freezing or fainting (part of flight or fight)

  avoidance can lead to disruption in normal routine, job, social life, relationships
• Cognitive characteristics 


  Irrational thought processes

  resistance to rational arguments - the person recognises that their fear is irrational , which is the difference between a phobia and a delusion
• Behavioural approach to explaining phobias 


  argues all behaviour is learnt

  learning occurs through the process of classical and operant conditioning
• The two process model

  1st stage - classical conditioning

  = explains why phobias develop

  2nd stage - operant conditioning

  = explains why phobias continue
• Classical conditioning - initiation 


  little Albert

  Phobias learnt through association

  -loud noise of steel bar being hit with hammer (unconditional stimulus)

  -produces unconditional response of fear

  -white rat (neutral stimulus) causes no response

  -paring the loud noise with rat, rat acquires same properties as UCS and produces the response of fear

  -fear becomes the conditioned response and the rat becomes the conditioned stimulus and now produces fear on its own
• Operant conditioning - maintenance 


  Explains why fear continues and why people avoid the feared object

  rewards reinforce behaviour - avoiding the feared object will reduce fear - reduction in fear is rewarding

  therefore the person will repeat the behaviour and continue to avoid the object - negative reinforcement