The behavioural approach to explaining phobias - A-Level Psychology
The two process model
Hobart Mowrer(1960):
Classical conditioning-acquiring the phobia through association
Watson and Rayner(1920) created a phobia in a 9 month old baby called Little Albert.They conditioned him into being scared of a white rat and similar animals by associating the white rat with a loud noise e.g a bang
Operant conditioning-maintaining the phobia
Responses that are obtained from classical conditioning decline over time however phobias are long lasting.Reinforcement tends to increase the frequency of a behaviour.In the case of negative reinforcement an individual avoids an unpleasant situation.This results in a desirable outcome so therefore the behaviour is repeated.Mowrer said that when we avoid a phobic stimulus we escape the fear and it is this reduction in fear which reinforces avoidance behaviour and the phobia is maintained.
Social learning-it is not part of the two process model but it is a neo-behaviorist explanation as phobias may be acquired through modelling the behavior of others.
Evaluation:
The importance of classical conditioning-some people with phobias can recall a specific incident where the phobia appeared whereas others cite modelling as the cause.
Good explanatory power-explains how phobias are maintained and this lead to important implications for therapy as it explains that patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus.When the patient is prevented from carrying out avoidance behaviour the behaviour is not maintained so therefore declines.
Bounton(2007)-said that these phobias can be evolutionary such as the fear of snakes and Seligman(1971) called this biological preparedness and this is when they are predisposed to acquire certain fears.This shows that there is more to acquiring phobias than simple conditioning.
Diathesis stress model-research has found that not everyone who is bitten by a dog develops a phobia of dogs.This model explains ths as it proposes that we inherit a genetic vulnerability for developing mental disorders .However this disorder would only manifest if triggered by a life event.
The two process model ignores cognitive factors-the cognitive approach proposes that some phobias may develop due to irrational thinking.
Some phobias are not acquired through trauma so can’t be a result of conditioning e.g some people may have a fear of snakes even though they haven’t seen a snake before.
behavioural approach suggests that phobias are acquired through learning experiences, such as classical and operant conditioning. According to this theory, individuals develop irrational fears by associating a neutral stimulus (such as a spider) with a negative experience (such as a painful bite), or by observing others reacting fearfully to the stimulus.
Classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus (such as a spider) is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (such as pain or fear). Eventually, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response (such as fear). For example, if someone is bitten by a spider, they may develop a fear of spiders due to the association between the spider and the pain.
Operant conditioning is a process in which behaviours are shaped by their consequences. In the context of phobias, individuals may avoid the feared stimulus (such as a spider) to reduce their anxiety. If this avoidance behaviour is reinforced (for example, by reducing anxiety), it may become more frequent and more difficult to extinguish.
Yes, behavioural therapies such as systematic desensitization and exposure therapy are designed to help individuals overcome their phobias by gradually exposing them to the feared stimulus in a controlled environment. These treatments aim to weaken the association between the stimulus and the fear response through extinction.
One limitation of this theory is that it doesn’t account for the role of cognitive factors (such as thoughts and beliefs) in the development and maintenance of phobias. Additionally, the behavioural approach may oversimplify the complex nature of phobias, which can involve a variety of psychological and biological factors.
Other theories, such as the cognitive and biological approaches, offer different explanations for the development and treatment of phobias. While the behavioural approach emphasizes the role of learning experiences, cognitive theories focus on the role of thoughts and beliefs, and biological theories consider the role of genetics and brain function.
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