What are the two behavioural therapies for treating phobias?
systematic desensitisation and flooding
How does systematic desensitisation work?
it’s designed to reduce phobic anxiety through principles of classical conditioning. the phobic stimulus is paired with relaxation instead of anxiety, which counter-conditions the original response to the phobic stimulus
what are the 3 processes involved in sd?
the anxiety hierarchy- a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus (i.e scariest = holding tarantula, least scary = a picture of a spider)
relaxation techniques are mastered because it’s impossible to be scared and relaxed at the same time (reciprocal inhibition)
exposure to the hierarchy while maintining relaxation and working through it
what is flooding therapy?
the immediate exposure to phobic stimulus i.e tarantula. it causes this causes the process of extinction where the client learns very quickly that the phobic stimulus is harmless. this does require informed consent due to its unpleasant nature
