Psychopathology
Including:
1. Phobias (using a behavioural approach)
2. OCD (using a biological approach)
3. Depression (using a cognitive approach)
4. Definitions of abnormality
, Phobias (using a behavioural approach)
- A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder.
- Anxiety is a natural human response to dangerous and potentially life-
threatening situations.
- However, they are uncontrollable, extremely irrational and enduring fears.
- Anxiety levels are often out of proportion to any actual risk
- Behaviourists argue that phobias are learned through association. There
are 2 types of associative conditioning: they use the two-process model to
explain phobias; this states that phobias are acquired through classical
conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.
Characteristics
- Behavioural:
o Avoidant/anxiety response – efforts are made to avoid the feared
objects and situations in order to reduce the chances of an anxiety
response occurring.
o Disruption of functioning – the anxiety and the avoidance are so
extreme that they interfere with the ability to conduct every day
and occupational tasks as well as social functioning.
- Emotional:
o Persistent, excessive fear – there is a constant anticipation of the
anxiety-provoking (phobic) stimulus.
o Extreme fear/panic attacks – this is from exposure to the phobic
stimulus.
- Cognitive:
o Recognition that the fear response is overstated – phobics are
generally consciously aware that the anxiety levels they experience
are disproportionate to the situation.
Phobic acquisition through classical conditioning
- A neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus
that naturally causes a fear response (unconditioned response).
- The association causes a conditioned response of fear to the neutral
stimulus (now the conditioned stimulus).
Maintenance of phobias through operant conditioning
- If the phobic person’s fear response is reinforced, then they are likely to
repeat that behaviour.
- Maintenance is most likely to be through negative reinforcement (the
removal of something unpleasant.
- The phobic person acts to avoid the phobic stimulus because this reduces
the anxiety caused by anticipation of the stimulus or its presence which
negatively reinforces the avoidant behaviour.
- Hence, the phobia will be very resistant to extinction as the avoidant
behaviour means that the phobic person will be unlikely to confront their
fear through experiencing the stimulus.
Evaluation of the behavioural approach in explaining
phobias
{Di Gallo et al. provide research support}
- Di Gallo et al. (1996) reported that around 20% of people experiencing
traumatic car accidents developed a phobia of travelling in cars.
Including:
1. Phobias (using a behavioural approach)
2. OCD (using a biological approach)
3. Depression (using a cognitive approach)
4. Definitions of abnormality
, Phobias (using a behavioural approach)
- A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder.
- Anxiety is a natural human response to dangerous and potentially life-
threatening situations.
- However, they are uncontrollable, extremely irrational and enduring fears.
- Anxiety levels are often out of proportion to any actual risk
- Behaviourists argue that phobias are learned through association. There
are 2 types of associative conditioning: they use the two-process model to
explain phobias; this states that phobias are acquired through classical
conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.
Characteristics
- Behavioural:
o Avoidant/anxiety response – efforts are made to avoid the feared
objects and situations in order to reduce the chances of an anxiety
response occurring.
o Disruption of functioning – the anxiety and the avoidance are so
extreme that they interfere with the ability to conduct every day
and occupational tasks as well as social functioning.
- Emotional:
o Persistent, excessive fear – there is a constant anticipation of the
anxiety-provoking (phobic) stimulus.
o Extreme fear/panic attacks – this is from exposure to the phobic
stimulus.
- Cognitive:
o Recognition that the fear response is overstated – phobics are
generally consciously aware that the anxiety levels they experience
are disproportionate to the situation.
Phobic acquisition through classical conditioning
- A neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus
that naturally causes a fear response (unconditioned response).
- The association causes a conditioned response of fear to the neutral
stimulus (now the conditioned stimulus).
Maintenance of phobias through operant conditioning
- If the phobic person’s fear response is reinforced, then they are likely to
repeat that behaviour.
- Maintenance is most likely to be through negative reinforcement (the
removal of something unpleasant.
- The phobic person acts to avoid the phobic stimulus because this reduces
the anxiety caused by anticipation of the stimulus or its presence which
negatively reinforces the avoidant behaviour.
- Hence, the phobia will be very resistant to extinction as the avoidant
behaviour means that the phobic person will be unlikely to confront their
fear through experiencing the stimulus.
Evaluation of the behavioural approach in explaining
phobias
{Di Gallo et al. provide research support}
- Di Gallo et al. (1996) reported that around 20% of people experiencing
traumatic car accidents developed a phobia of travelling in cars.
