phobias

• characteristics of a phobia?

  • anxiety disorder
  • irrational/extreme fear of object/situation
  • fear is disproportionate to the actual danger/risk it gives
• what are the 3 types of a phobia?

  1. specific phobia
  2. social phobia
  3. agoraphobia
• explain specific phobia?

  • related to exposure to specific objects/situations
  • fear/anxiety may be triggered by presence/anticipation of object/situation
• explain social phobia?

  • long-lasting & overwhelming fear of social situations
• explain agoraphobia?

  • fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn't be available if things go wrong
  • scared of being scared
• 2 behavioural characteristics?

  1. panic
  2. avoidance
• explain panic?

  • screaming & crying
• explain avoidance?

  • avoiding situations & scenarios which could involve them coming into contact with phobic object
• emotional characteristics?

  1. emotional responses are unreasonable - having greater fear than what phobic obect should
  2. anxiety & fear - high levels of arousal & fear when around phobic object
• cognitive characteristics?

  1. irrational beliefs about phobic object
  2. cognitive distortions - what they think about the phobic object is different/distorted from most perceptions
• explain the behavioural explanation for phobias?

  • abnormality is learnt like normal behaviour
  • we learn to have a phobia
• explain the 2 process model for phobias?

  1. acquire the phobia through association - classical conditioning
  2. maintain the phobia through negative reinforcement - operant conditioning
• name the 2 treatments for phobias?

  1. systematic desensitisation
  2. flooding
• what is systematic desensitisation?

  • gradually introduces the patient to the phobic content
  • works in 3 stages
• what is the first stage of systematic desensitisation?

  • construction of anxiety hierarchy
  • a list of objects/situations that produce fear for client
  • bottom - what patient would feel most comfortable with
  • top - what would create the most fear/anxiety
  • in between are stages which gradually build up anxiety
• second stage of systematic desensitisation?

  • client is provided with relaxation training & deep muscle relaxation
  • can be achieved through deep breathing
• last stage of systematic desensitisation?

  • patient gradually introduced to phobic object/situation
  • using relaxation techniques, work from the bottom & work way up

  cannot move up fear hierarchy until they are fully relaxed & no longer fearful
• key things about systematic desensitisation?

  • if move up too quickly will experience anxiety
  • it is impossible to experience fear & relaxation at the same time
• what is flooding?

  • immediate exposure of phobic object to the patient
  • can be invitro - imagining exposure
  • can be invivo - actual real life experience
  • only one session
  • this is done until client is calm & fear is extinguished
• 2 * of behavioural explanation for phobias?

  1. scientific
  2. led to effective treatment
• 2 X of behavioural explanation for phobias?

  1. reductionist
  2. contradictory evidence of behavioural explanation
• * scientific?

  • focuses entirely on behaviour we can observe & measure such as symptoms & responses
  • * internal
  • can establish cause & effect relationship between phobic objects & behavioural characteristics
  • research takes place in an environment which controls evs
• * led to effective treatment?

  • sd works by helping people unlearn their phobias & has been effective at treating them for many patients
  • * valid
  • has been used to develop a treatment for phobias so has had positive impact on society
• X contradictory evidence of behavioural explanation?

  • research has found that many people with phobias have not had a fearful experience with phobic object in past
  • study showed that only 2% children who had phobia of water had actually had frightening experience with water in past
  • ? valid
  • suggests we may not acquire & learn behaviour through classical conditioning & association
  • may be other factors that are involved in development of phobias
• X reductionist?

  • reduces phobias down to fact we acquire it through association & maintained by negative reinforcement
  • pro - allows us to research in great detail & likely to be scientific
  • con - ignores other factors such as biological that could explain phobias
  • ? valid
  • other important factors are not taken into account when explaining phobias
  • too simplistic
• 3 * of systematic desensitisation?

  1. evidence to show effectiveness from barlow et al 2002
  2. requires little effort
  3. not as unethical as flooding
• X treats symptoms not cause for sd?

  • treatment focuses on behaviour displayed in response to phobic object
  • replaces anxiety with relaxation to reduce panic & other symptoms
  • but does not deal with reasons behind these behaviours which means phobia may return later
  • ? effective
  • causes of phobia are not dealt with meaning it may not fully treat phobia in long term
• * evidence to show effectiveness for sd?

  • barlow et all 2002 examined those with injections & spider phobias
  • found sd has 60-90% success rate for clients
  • effective
  • shows in majority of patients with phobia sd successfully reduces symptoms of anxiety
  • allows them to lead normal lives
• * requires little effort for sd?

  • involves 3 simple steps which just requires creating anxiety heirarchy & learning relaxation techniques
  • does not require changing thoughts/personality
  • stages are easy & not cognitively demanding
  • many people can complete this such as children & those with learning difficulties
  • appropriate
  • easier for clients to go through in order to have phobia treated
  • means more people can access it & suitable for everyone
• * not as unethical as flooding?

  • main aim of treatment is to treat phobia gradually through replacing anxiety with relaxation so less chance of psychological harm through stress
  • appropriate
  • protects clients from harm
  • makes it more ethical so clients more likely to undergo this therapy
• X for flooding?

  1. traumatic for patients
  2. not effective treatment for all phobias
• * cost effective treatment for flooding?

  • treatment requires less time than others
  • only one session so cheaper for client
  • appropriate
  • phobias can be treated in more suitable time frame
  • makes it more accessible for wider population even those with lower income
• X flooding traumatic for patients

  • involves immediate exposure to phobic object can cause psychological harm
  • some people may pass out/have anxiety due to being exposed so quickly
  • ? appropriate
  • doesn’t protect patients from psychological harm
  • may be deemed unethical
  • people less likely to undergo treatment reducing its practicality
• X not effective treatment for all phobias for flooding?

  • works well for some phobias e.g arachnophobia
  • much more difficult to treat other phobias e.g social phobias
  • these people have irrational thoughts which accompany their phobia which flooding fails to treat
  • ? effective
  • treatment cannot successfully treat all phobias
  • may be better treatments that are universal for all individual symptoms