treating phobias (behavioural)

    Cards (10)

    • What is systematic desensitisation?

      a behaviour therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through principle of classical conditioning.

      Uses counter-conditioning to replace maladaptive response of fear w a healthier one of relaxation.
    • What is the first thing the therapist & client do in SD?
      - put together an anxiety hierarchy
      - list of situations related to phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged from least to most frightening
    • What is the second thing the therapist & client do in SD?
      Therapist teaches patient relaxation exercises or mental imagery techniques, e.g picturing yourself lying on a beach
    • What is the final step of SD?
      Patient is gradually exposed to phobic stimulus in a relaxed state. This takes place over several sessions starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy & building up. The patient can only move to the next stage once they r relaxed in the presence of the phobic stimulus.
    • Why does SD work?
      Because it is impossible to be afraid & relaxed at the same time - reciprocal inhibition. Eventually a new association is made between relaxation & phobic object
    • What is Flooding?
      - immediate exposure to a frightening situation
      - flooding sessions are longer than SD sessions, may last a couple of hours
    • Why does flooding work?
      Without option of avoidance behaviour patient quickly learns that phobic stimulus is harmless - this is known as extinction.
    • What is one strength of flooding?
      - cost-effective
      - clinically effective & not as expensive
      - can work in 1 session while SD can take up to 10 to achieve the same result
      - more people can b treated at the same cost w flooding
    • What is one strength of systematic desensitisation?
      - evidence for its effectiveness in specific phobias
      - Gilroy et al. followed up 42 patients who had been treated for arachnophobia w/ 3, 45 minute sessions of SD
      - at both 3 & 33 months the SD group was less fearful than the control group
      - SD is useful treatment for phobias
    • What is one limitation for flooding?
      - traumatic & highly unpleasant
      - Schumacher et al. found pps & therapists rated flooding as significantly more stressful
      - Furthermore, there r higher attrition rates than SD
      - Psychologists may avoid using treatment opting for SD instead which is more relaxing