AO1

• There are two behavioural treatments for phobias: flooding and sensitive desensitisation.
• Flooding is direct exposure to the phobic stimulus when the sufferer is encouraged to remain in the situation until their anxiety peaks, which can't be prolonged and will eventually decrease. This usually happens in vivo. As they can't leave, they cannot negatively reinforce the phobia and a new conditioned response is created where the conditioned stimulus illicits calm. They learn that the stimulus is harmless as they can't avoid it, which is known as extinction.
• Systematic desensitisation tries to teach the person a more appropriate association with their phobic stimulus and remove anxiety through classical conditioning through counterconditioning. This can be through teaching them relaxation alongside the stimulus. This is known as reciprocal inhibition.
• There are four steps for functional analysis.

  1. Functional analysis; a conversation to identify the nature of anxiety.
  2. Develop an anxiety hierarchy; least to most provoking
  3. Relaxation training
  4. Gradual exposure