Lecture Notes: Behaviorist Approach to Phobias

Introduction to Phobias

• Phobias are a diverse and intriguing mental health condition.
• Difficult to imagine if one doesn't have a particular phobia (e.g., phobia of buttons).

Behaviorist Approach to Phobias

• Focus on behaviorism: Classical and operant conditioning.
• Key concept: Behavior, including phobias, is learned from environmental interaction.

Two-Process Model

• Origin: Developed by Mowrer.
• Components:
  • Acquisition through Classical Conditioning:
    • Learning via association.
    • Example: A bee is a neutral stimulus, but after being stung (unconditioned stimulus) and feeling pain (unconditioned response), the bee becomes a conditioned stimulus causing fear (conditioned response).
    • Phobias can generalize (fear of bees extends to other flying insects).
  • Maintenance through Operant Conditioning:
    • Learning via consequences.
    • Avoidance reduces anxiety, reinforcing the phobia.
    • Example scenario: Laura's fear of bees developed and maintained through classical and operant conditioning.

Evaluation of the Behaviorist Approach

• Supporting Research:
  • Watson & Rayner's "Little Albert" experiment demonstrated conditioning.
  • Generalization of fear to similar objects (e.g., fear of rats extends to dogs).
• Critical Research:
  • Dinardo: Conditioning events are common in non-phobic individuals.
  • Mindes and Clarke: Limited correlation between negative experiences and phobia.
• Evolutionary Perspective:
  • Some phobias (e.g., snakes, spiders) may be hereditary and evolutionarily valid.

Behaviorist Approach to Treating Phobias

• Therapies:
  • Flooding: Immediate exposure to maximum phobic stimulus, leading to exhaustion and counter-conditioning.
  • Systematic Desensitization: Gradual exposure using an anxiety hierarchy, paired with relaxation techniques.

Evaluation of Treatment Approaches

• Systematic Desensitization:
  • Preferred by clients due to controlled progress.
  • Effective but may not generalize beyond therapist's office.
• Flooding:
  • Faster but not suitable for everyone (e.g., those with heart conditions, children).
  • Risk of reinforcing phobia if not completed.
• Comparison:
  • Both therapies more suited for object phobias than social phobias.
  • Drugs (e.g., benzodiazepines) provide temporary relief but are not preferred due to side effects.

Recent Developments

• Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy:
  • Adaptation of systematic desensitization.
  • Effective for treating certain phobias (e.g., fear of spiders).

Conclusion

• Behaviorist theories have led to effective treatments.
• Future exploration may focus on new technologies and comprehensive therapeutic approaches.