Explanation of phobia

• What is a strength of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias


  Good explanatory power. Ad De Jongh et al. (2006) found that 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment had experienced a traumatic event, mostly involving dentistry, compared to a control group of people with low dental anxiety where only 21% had experienced a traumatic event.
• What is a counter-argument for strength of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias

  Not everyone who has a phobia can recall a traumatic experience that caused it. Some people might have a fear of snakes, but never actually encountered one. However, not all frightening experiences lead to phobias. This suggests that other processes, aside from classical conditioning, may be involved in the development of phobias.
• What is a strength of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias


  The behavioural explanation has been used to develop effective treatments for phobias – systematic desensitisation and flooding. These treatment methods have proved very practical in the real world to help people deal with, and overcome their fears, as the foundation of the treatment understanding is based on research associated with the behavioural approach.
• What is a weakness of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias


  Ignores biological factors. Research has found that not everyone who is bitten by a dog develops a phobia of dogs. The diathesis-stress model could explain this. This model suggests that we inherit a genetic vulnerability for developing mental disorders. However, a disorder will only manifest itself if triggered by a life event, such as being bitten by a dog. Therefore, the behavioural explanation is incomplete on its own, as it does not take into account biological factors.
• What is a weakness of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias


  There are cognitive aspects to phobias that cannot be explained in a traditionally behaviourist framework. An alternative explanation is the cognitive approach, which proposes that phobias may develop as the consequence of irrational thinking. Such thoughts create extreme anxiety and may trigger a phobia. The two-process model explains avoidance behaviour but does not offer an adequate explanation for phobic cognitions.