PSYCHOPATHOLOGY 16 MARKERS
Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (16 marks)
Mowrer proposed that phobias are acquired through the two process model. This states
that our phobias are learned through classical conditioning and then maintained by
operant conditioning. For example, Watson and Raynor showed how fear can be
conditioned with the case of Little Albert. They created a phobia of a white rat within Albert
by making him associate the sight of a white rat with a loud frightening noise. They found
that despite Albert showing no fear towards the rat before, he was now frightened when he
saw the rat. As well as this, they found that the fear was generalised to similar objects,
such as other furry objects like fur coats. Phobias are maintained through operant
conditioning and negative reinforcement, which allows phobias to be long lasting. Mowrer
explains that when we avoid our phobic stimulus it reinforces our phobia due to the relief
we feel from avoiding fear and anxiety. For example, if someone with a fear of clowns
avoids the circus they successfully avoid the fear and anxiety they would experience
through seeing a clown, therefore their phobia remains.
A strength of the two process model is that it has good explanatory powers. It goes beyond
Watson and Rayner’s classical conditioning explanation. As well as this, it has important
real life applications, especially concerning therapy. The identification of operant
conditioning as maintenance for phobias has allowed therapists to focus on avoidance
behaviours and overcoming them. This is a strength because the explanation has lead to
effective treatment and could help people.
However, a weakness of this explanation is that not all bad experiences lead to the
development of phobias. DiNardo et al found that people who were bitten by dogs did not
always go on to develop a phobia of dogs. This shows how classical conditioning alone
can’t explain phobias, which is a weakness because it shows how the behavioural
approach is a limited explanation.
A further limitation is that there are alternative explanations for avoidance behaviour. Buck
suggested that sometimes people are motivated by feelings of safety. He found that if
some agoraphobics left home with a friend they had relatively little anxiety compared to
leaving home alone. This suggests that avoiding the phobic stimulus is not what causes
avoidance but rather sticking with the safety factor. This is a weakness because the two-
process model claims that avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction, which is
contrasted by these findings.
, Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to treating phobias (16 marks)
There are two different types of treatment for phobias. The first type is systematic
desensitisation. This uses classical conditioning and counter conditioning, which pairs the
conditioned stimulus with relaxation, in order for relaxation to become the conditioned
response. This is effective because of reciprocal inhibition, which means that you can’t be
scared and relaxed at the same time. The therapist works with the patient to form an
anxiety hierarchy, beginning with something that mildly triggers anxiety and then the top is
something that causes extreme anxiety. The therapist will work through each anxiety level
and counter-condition them with relaxation. For example, if a person had a fear of cats, the
bottom of the anxiety hierarchy would be a picture of a kitten or some cat hair. The
therapist would combine these stimuli with relaxation and continue to work up the
hierarchy until they reached actual contact with a real cat, this is known as exposure. The
other type of phobia treatment is flooding. This is when the patient has immediate
exposure to their phobic stimulus. This aims to treat the phobia through extinction, which is
the exhaustion of their fear response. For example, the person would have to stay with a
cat in a room until they were no longer scared of them i.e. until their fear response was
exhausted.
A strength of systematic desensitisation is that it is effective. Gilroy et al conducted a study
into its effectiveness, they used 42 patients who had systematic desensitisation for their
spider phobia and a control group who were only taught relaxation without any exposure to
phobic stimuli. They all had three 45 minute sessions. Gilroy et al checked up on the
patients 3 months after treatment and 33 months after treatment. They found that the
group who had received SD were less fearful compared to the control group. This is a
strength because it not only shows how effective the treatment is, but it also shows that it
is a long lasting treatment.
As well as this, a further strength of systematic desensitisation is that patients prefer it.
This is because it is less traumatic than flooding. It is also pleasant for them to talk to a
therapist and learning relaxation techniques. Systematic desensitisation has low refusal
rates and low attrition rates (number of people dropping out) This is a strength of the
treatment.
A weakness of flooding is that it isn’t completely effective. It has been found that flooding
isn’t an effective treatment for complex phobias. For example, social phobias like social
anxiety. This is because it ignores the cognitive aspects of phobias and fails to treat
irrational thoughts that are often involved with complex phobias.
Furthermore, flooding is extremely traumatic for the patient. The treatment itself isn’t
unethical as the patients do give informed consent before the treatment. However, most
patients don’t see the treatment through to the end due to its traumatic nature. This is a
weakness because the treatment therefore becomes ineffective as patients usually don’t
do it enough to get cured. As well as this, it means that patient’s time and money is
wasted, along with therapist’s time being wasted.
Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (16 marks)
Mowrer proposed that phobias are acquired through the two process model. This states
that our phobias are learned through classical conditioning and then maintained by
operant conditioning. For example, Watson and Raynor showed how fear can be
conditioned with the case of Little Albert. They created a phobia of a white rat within Albert
by making him associate the sight of a white rat with a loud frightening noise. They found
that despite Albert showing no fear towards the rat before, he was now frightened when he
saw the rat. As well as this, they found that the fear was generalised to similar objects,
such as other furry objects like fur coats. Phobias are maintained through operant
conditioning and negative reinforcement, which allows phobias to be long lasting. Mowrer
explains that when we avoid our phobic stimulus it reinforces our phobia due to the relief
we feel from avoiding fear and anxiety. For example, if someone with a fear of clowns
avoids the circus they successfully avoid the fear and anxiety they would experience
through seeing a clown, therefore their phobia remains.
A strength of the two process model is that it has good explanatory powers. It goes beyond
Watson and Rayner’s classical conditioning explanation. As well as this, it has important
real life applications, especially concerning therapy. The identification of operant
conditioning as maintenance for phobias has allowed therapists to focus on avoidance
behaviours and overcoming them. This is a strength because the explanation has lead to
effective treatment and could help people.
However, a weakness of this explanation is that not all bad experiences lead to the
development of phobias. DiNardo et al found that people who were bitten by dogs did not
always go on to develop a phobia of dogs. This shows how classical conditioning alone
can’t explain phobias, which is a weakness because it shows how the behavioural
approach is a limited explanation.
A further limitation is that there are alternative explanations for avoidance behaviour. Buck
suggested that sometimes people are motivated by feelings of safety. He found that if
some agoraphobics left home with a friend they had relatively little anxiety compared to
leaving home alone. This suggests that avoiding the phobic stimulus is not what causes
avoidance but rather sticking with the safety factor. This is a weakness because the two-
process model claims that avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction, which is
contrasted by these findings.
, Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to treating phobias (16 marks)
There are two different types of treatment for phobias. The first type is systematic
desensitisation. This uses classical conditioning and counter conditioning, which pairs the
conditioned stimulus with relaxation, in order for relaxation to become the conditioned
response. This is effective because of reciprocal inhibition, which means that you can’t be
scared and relaxed at the same time. The therapist works with the patient to form an
anxiety hierarchy, beginning with something that mildly triggers anxiety and then the top is
something that causes extreme anxiety. The therapist will work through each anxiety level
and counter-condition them with relaxation. For example, if a person had a fear of cats, the
bottom of the anxiety hierarchy would be a picture of a kitten or some cat hair. The
therapist would combine these stimuli with relaxation and continue to work up the
hierarchy until they reached actual contact with a real cat, this is known as exposure. The
other type of phobia treatment is flooding. This is when the patient has immediate
exposure to their phobic stimulus. This aims to treat the phobia through extinction, which is
the exhaustion of their fear response. For example, the person would have to stay with a
cat in a room until they were no longer scared of them i.e. until their fear response was
exhausted.
A strength of systematic desensitisation is that it is effective. Gilroy et al conducted a study
into its effectiveness, they used 42 patients who had systematic desensitisation for their
spider phobia and a control group who were only taught relaxation without any exposure to
phobic stimuli. They all had three 45 minute sessions. Gilroy et al checked up on the
patients 3 months after treatment and 33 months after treatment. They found that the
group who had received SD were less fearful compared to the control group. This is a
strength because it not only shows how effective the treatment is, but it also shows that it
is a long lasting treatment.
As well as this, a further strength of systematic desensitisation is that patients prefer it.
This is because it is less traumatic than flooding. It is also pleasant for them to talk to a
therapist and learning relaxation techniques. Systematic desensitisation has low refusal
rates and low attrition rates (number of people dropping out) This is a strength of the
treatment.
A weakness of flooding is that it isn’t completely effective. It has been found that flooding
isn’t an effective treatment for complex phobias. For example, social phobias like social
anxiety. This is because it ignores the cognitive aspects of phobias and fails to treat
irrational thoughts that are often involved with complex phobias.
Furthermore, flooding is extremely traumatic for the patient. The treatment itself isn’t
unethical as the patients do give informed consent before the treatment. However, most
patients don’t see the treatment through to the end due to its traumatic nature. This is a
weakness because the treatment therefore becomes ineffective as patients usually don’t
do it enough to get cured. As well as this, it means that patient’s time and money is
wasted, along with therapist’s time being wasted.
