"Describe and Evaluate the behavioural approach to TREATING Phobias" (16 marks)

There are two behavioural treatments for phobias; flooding and systematic
desensitisation.

Flooding is the process of putting someone in a scenario where they are

inescapably exposed to their phobia. Although the client may be taught
relaxation techniques beforehand, there is no radial build to direct exposure. For
example, someone with arachnophobia would be put in a scenario where a large
spider would crawl over them for an extended period of time. Since the client
would be forced to stay within the phobic stimulus they would soon start to
realise it can not cause them any harm. The body can only sustain the fear
response for so long- as the physical response to fear decreases so does the
anxiety.

Systematic desensitisation is the process of gradually exposing the patient to the

phobic stimulus. systematic desensitisation uses counter-conditioning to unlearn
the maladaptive response to a situation or object, by producing another response
(relaxation). The treatment is based on the principle of reciprocal inhibition that
two opposite emotions cannot be felt at the same time and so the fear is replaced
with relaxation. The therapy starts with the therapist and client making an
anxiety hierarchy of most to least feared. E.g someone with a fear of snakes might
start by looking at a picture of a snake and end by holding a snake. The hierarchy
is worked through a series of sessions, making sure the patient is relaxed enough
to go to the next stage.

A strength of systematic desensitisation is it is preferred by patients. This is

because it doesn’t cause the same degree of trauma that flooding does and also
because systematic desensitisation has pleasant elements such as the relaxation
procedures. There are low refusal rates for systematic desensitisation and low
attribution rates. This means the treatment is far less stressful for a participant
and should not cause damage.

A strength of flooding is that it is very cost-effective. Flooding can work in as little

as 1 2/3hr session as opposed to systematic desensitisation which would take say
10 sessions to achieve the same results. This means more people can be treated
at the same cost with flooding with any other therapist, hence making flooding
attractive as a budget and speed therapy.

A limitation of systematic desensitisation is that symptom substitution can occur.

One phobia can disappear due to treatment but another can take its place. E.g a
phobia of heights can be replaced by a phobia of buildings, or anything. However,
evidence of behavioural therapist tend not to believe this as the evidence of this is
very mixed. This could mean systematic desensitisation is not actually curing the
underlying cause of the phobia merely the symptoms.

A limitation of flooding is the high trauma associated with it. Flooding is a highly
unpleasant experience because it causes tremendous anxiety. Sarah Schumacher
et al found that participants and therapists rated flooding as significantly more
stressful that systematic desensitisation. This raises ethical issues about whether
the psychologists are knowingly causing stress o their patients, though this
might not be an issue provided informed consent is given. This suggests that
therapists might avoid this treatment.