Phobias

• What is a phobia?


  An irrational fear of an object or situation
• How can phobias be characterized?

  By excessive fear and anxiety triggered by an object, place, or situation
• What are the three categories of phobias recognized by the DSM?

  Specific phobias, social anxiety/social phobia, and agoraphobia
• What is a specific phobia?


  A phobia of an object, such as an animal or body part, or a situation such as flying
• What is social anxiety/social phobia?

  A phobia of a social situation such as public speaking or using a public toilet
• What is agoraphobia?


  A phobia of being outside or in a public place
• What happens when someone faces their phobic stimulus?

  They feel high levels of anxiety and try to escape
• How are the responses to phobic stimuli characterized?

  They are generally completely irrational and out of proportion to the phobic stimulus
• What are the three types of characteristics associated with phobias?

  • Behavioral Characteristics: Panic, avoidance, endurance
  • Emotional Characteristics: Anxiety, fear, excessive and unreasonable responses
  • Cognitive Characteristics: Selective attention, irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions
• What are some behavioral characteristics of phobias?

  Panic, crying, screaming, running away, avoidance, and endurance
• How can avoidance behavior affect a person's life?

  It can interfere with work, education, and social life
• What is the emotional response associated with phobias?

  Phobias involve an emotional response of anxiety and fear
• What is the difference between anxiety and fear in the context of phobias?

  Anxiety is long-term, while fear is the immediate response to the phobic stimulus
• What triggers the emotional response in phobias?

  The presence of, or anticipation of, the phobic stimulus
• What is selective attention in the context of phobias?

  It is hard to look away from the phobic stimulus, which can be useful in actual danger
• What are irrational beliefs in phobias?

  Beliefs that increase pressure in phobic situations, such as "I must always sound intelligent"
• What are cognitive distortions in phobias?

  Phobics may have distorted perceptions of the stimulus, such as "Belly buttons are ugly and disgusting"
• What is the behavioral approach to explaining phobias?

  • The two-process model includes classical and operant conditioning
  • Phobias are learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
  • Mowrer's model explains the acquisition and maintenance of phobias
• What is classical conditioning in the context of phobias?

  Learning to associate a neutral stimulus with something that triggers a fear response
• What is operant conditioning in the context of phobias?

  It explains how avoidance behavior is reinforced, leading to the maintenance of phobias
• Who conducted the key study on classical conditioning and phobias?

  Watson and Rayner
• What was the aim of Watson and Rayner's study?

  To investigate whether a fear response could be learned through classical conditioning in humans
• What was the method used in Watson and Rayner's study?

  They conditioned an 11-month-old child called "Little Albert" to fear a white rat
• What were the results of Watson and Rayner's study?

  Little Albert began to cry whenever he was shown the rat after conditioning
• What conclusion can be drawn from Watson and Rayner's study?

  A fear response could be induced through classical conditioning in humans
• What is the two-process model proposed by Mowrer?

  1. Classical conditioning leads to the acquisition of phobias
  2. Operant conditioning maintains phobias through reinforcement
  3. Social learning theory also plays a role in phobia development
• What is the role of reinforcement in operant conditioning related to phobias?

  Negative reinforcement occurs when avoiding the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety, encouraging repeated avoidance
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the behavioral approach to explaining phobias?

  Strengths:

  • Good explanatory power
  • Important implications for therapy

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Incomplete explanation
  • Some phobias do not follow trauma
• What is systematic desensitization?


  A treatment technique developed by Joseph Wolpe to unlearn maladaptive responses to phobic situations
• What are the three critical components of systematic desensitization?

  Fear hierarchy, relaxation training, and reciprocal inhibition
• What is the fear hierarchy in systematic desensitization?

  A ranked list of situations involving the phobic stimulus from least to most anxiety-inducing
• What is relaxation training in systematic desensitization?

  The patient is taught to relax deeply using techniques like breathing exercises and imagery
• What is reciprocal inhibition in systematic desensitization?

  The theory that two emotional states cannot exist at the same time, allowing relaxation to overtake fear
• What is flooding in the context of treating phobias?

  Exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus immediately and intensely
• What is the ethical consideration regarding flooding?

  Patients must give fully informed consent as it can be traumatic
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of flooding as a treatment for phobias?

  Strengths:

  • Cost-effective and quick effect for some phobias

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Can be traumatic for patients
  • Patients may refuse to complete the treatment
• What is the homework assignment related to phobias?

  Outline and evaluate the behavioral approach to treating phobias
• What is the link provided for further reading on the ethics of flooding?


  http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Jones/
• What is the link provided for further reading on a laboratory study of fear?

  http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Jones/