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Phobias (Key terms (Behaviourist: People who believe that human behaviour…

- - - - Biological preparedness: Animals, including humans, are genetically programmed to rapidly learn to fear certain stimuli because they are potentially life-threatening. This biological preparedness means that behavioural explanations alone cannot explain the development of phobias.
      - Two-process theory ignores cognitive factors: The cognitive approach proposes that phobias may develop not through conditioning but as the consequence of irrational thinking. Cognitive therapies designed to treat this, such as CBT, may be more successful than the behaviourist treatments for certain phobias.
      - Diathesis- stress model: Researchers have found that not everyone who is traumatised by something develops a phobia. The diathesis- stress model could explain this: we inherit a genetic vulrenability for developing a mental disorder however it only manifests itself if triggered by a traumatic event. Peole without this vulrenability would not develop a phobia.
    - - The importance of classical conditioning: Phobics can often recall a specific incident when their phobia appeared. However not all phobics can do this. This suggests phobias may resullt from different processes, e.g. from a specific incident or from modelling.
      - Support for social learning: Bandura and Rosenthal (1966) supported the social learning explanation. In the experiment, a model acted as if he was in pain every time a buzzer sounded. Later on, those participants who had observed this shoed an emotional reaction to the buzzer, demonstrating an acquired 'fear' response.
- - - - Strengths
        
        Effectiveness of SD: Researchers have found that SD is successful for a range of phobic disorders in up to 75% of patients. In vivo techniques are the most effective.
        
        General effectiveness of behavioural therapies : Behavioural therapies are relatively fast and less effortful than psychotherapies requiring 'thinking'. They are thus useful for people who lack insight, such as patients with learning difficulties. SD can also be self-administered as effectively and more cheaply than therapist- guided treatment.
      - Limitations
        
        Not appropiate for all phobias Ohman et al. (1975) suggest that, due to preparedness, SD may not be as effective in treating phobias with an evolutionary survival component compard to thosoe that do not.
  - - - Strengths
        
        Effectiveness flooding is a quick treatment compared to SD and may be more effective than SD. However, another review concluded that SD and flooding were equally effective, so wither way, flooding has some theraputic benefit.
      - Limitations
        
        Individual differences: Flooding is not for every patient. Even though patients are made aware beforehand that it is trraumatic, they may quit during the treatment, which reduces the ultimate effectiveness of the therapy.
        
        Relaxation may not be necessary: Exposure and anticipation of success might be more important than relaxation. Klein et al. (1983) found no difference in effectiveness of SD with supportive psychotherapy for patients with either social or specific phobias, suggesting that generating hopeful expactancies that the phobia can be overcome is key.
        
        Symptom substitution: Behavioural therapies remove symtptoms but may not address their underlying cause, so 'symptom substitution' may occur.