P2. Explain different psychological approaches to health practice.
P3. Explain different psychological approaches to social care practice.
P2. Behaviourist Perspective
Behaviourist approach focuses on how behaviour is observed and learned. Behaviourists believe
that an individual’s behaviour is learned from people in their lives. This perspective is also known as
the ‘learning theory’ as it looks at how people learn from others and the impact on their
relationships. There are two theorists who supports that perspective a Russian psychologist (classical
conditioning) Ivan Pavlov and the American psychologist (operant conditioning) B.F Skinner.
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are applied as part of treatments and therapy
approaches in health and social care settings. Care practitioners and psychologists use behavioural
techniques to change maladaptive and challenging behaviours and to shape new forms of behaviour.
Sometimes psychologists and care practitioners work with people who have problems due to the
result of maladaptive behaviours. For example, people like these their ways of dealing with stressful
events in life or any other situations causes damages to themselves and others. There may be a
person who deals with depression by self-harming in different ways such as cut or burn themselves.
This behaviour may have been triggered by an event or trauma from an experience and that person
see that as a way of coping. Another example of maladaptive behaviour is when person drinks
alcohol or uses substances in response to stress and challenging situations in their life. Moreover,
these notions of association and reinforcement are used to identify the origins of these kind of
behaviours and emotional problems in response to difficult situations. It can help psychologists and
care practitioners to understand an individual’s behaviour.
P2 Aversion therapy is used in health care settings and is a form of classical conditioning which uses
negative reinforcement to change maladaptive behaviour. This therapy is involving a repeat pairing
of an unwanted behaviour and discomfort. For example, a smoker who wants to quit smoking may
use aversion therapy to stop smoking may receive a mini electroshock every time they are looking at
an image of a cigarette. Over a period, the person will associate these unpleasant feelings and
experiences with smoking and eventually will avoid it or stop it. Another example is when a person
has an obsession to bite their nails, they may put a bitter nail polish and every time that person
attempts to bite their nails, they will have a bitter taste and may stop it eventually. Aversion therapy
is known to treat bad habits, anger and violence, addictions, alcoholism, smoking as well as
gambling. This type of therapy can only be effective if the client keeps attending the therapy and
keep practicing or in some instances the client may return to previous patterns of behaviour once
they are out of treatment but no longer be exposed to deterrent.
P3 In social care setting phobias are often treated using a treatment called ‘systematic
desensitisation’, this type of treatment will remove the power of maladaptive behaviour association
by exposing the client to the thing that they are frightened or scared. This therapy was developed by
a South African psychiatrist called Joseph Wolpe. To carry on this treatment care practitioners would
have to create a ‘hierarchy of fear’, the client will be exposed to certain degrees of fear while will
also helping them to relax and cope with each exposure. The goal of this treatment is for the client
to face what they are frightened of without worrying about it. Systematic desensitisation has been
used effectively to help people overcome their phobias. For example, it can help people who suffer
from agoraphobia (fear of open space e.g., the mall, cinema), fear of spiders, claustrophobia,
homophobia, theophobia, iconophobia as well as iatrophobia that can cause people distress and
stop them from carrying out daily needs.
P3. Explain different psychological approaches to social care practice.
P2. Behaviourist Perspective
Behaviourist approach focuses on how behaviour is observed and learned. Behaviourists believe
that an individual’s behaviour is learned from people in their lives. This perspective is also known as
the ‘learning theory’ as it looks at how people learn from others and the impact on their
relationships. There are two theorists who supports that perspective a Russian psychologist (classical
conditioning) Ivan Pavlov and the American psychologist (operant conditioning) B.F Skinner.
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are applied as part of treatments and therapy
approaches in health and social care settings. Care practitioners and psychologists use behavioural
techniques to change maladaptive and challenging behaviours and to shape new forms of behaviour.
Sometimes psychologists and care practitioners work with people who have problems due to the
result of maladaptive behaviours. For example, people like these their ways of dealing with stressful
events in life or any other situations causes damages to themselves and others. There may be a
person who deals with depression by self-harming in different ways such as cut or burn themselves.
This behaviour may have been triggered by an event or trauma from an experience and that person
see that as a way of coping. Another example of maladaptive behaviour is when person drinks
alcohol or uses substances in response to stress and challenging situations in their life. Moreover,
these notions of association and reinforcement are used to identify the origins of these kind of
behaviours and emotional problems in response to difficult situations. It can help psychologists and
care practitioners to understand an individual’s behaviour.
P2 Aversion therapy is used in health care settings and is a form of classical conditioning which uses
negative reinforcement to change maladaptive behaviour. This therapy is involving a repeat pairing
of an unwanted behaviour and discomfort. For example, a smoker who wants to quit smoking may
use aversion therapy to stop smoking may receive a mini electroshock every time they are looking at
an image of a cigarette. Over a period, the person will associate these unpleasant feelings and
experiences with smoking and eventually will avoid it or stop it. Another example is when a person
has an obsession to bite their nails, they may put a bitter nail polish and every time that person
attempts to bite their nails, they will have a bitter taste and may stop it eventually. Aversion therapy
is known to treat bad habits, anger and violence, addictions, alcoholism, smoking as well as
gambling. This type of therapy can only be effective if the client keeps attending the therapy and
keep practicing or in some instances the client may return to previous patterns of behaviour once
they are out of treatment but no longer be exposed to deterrent.
P3 In social care setting phobias are often treated using a treatment called ‘systematic
desensitisation’, this type of treatment will remove the power of maladaptive behaviour association
by exposing the client to the thing that they are frightened or scared. This therapy was developed by
a South African psychiatrist called Joseph Wolpe. To carry on this treatment care practitioners would
have to create a ‘hierarchy of fear’, the client will be exposed to certain degrees of fear while will
also helping them to relax and cope with each exposure. The goal of this treatment is for the client
to face what they are frightened of without worrying about it. Systematic desensitisation has been
used effectively to help people overcome their phobias. For example, it can help people who suffer
from agoraphobia (fear of open space e.g., the mall, cinema), fear of spiders, claustrophobia,
homophobia, theophobia, iconophobia as well as iatrophobia that can cause people distress and
stop them from carrying out daily needs.
