Role of Classical Conditioning in How People Develop Fears and Phobias - Research Paper Example

? The role ical conditioning in the development fears and phobias The role ical conditioning in the development fears and phobias Introduction Classical conditioning is a theory that explains the way phobias and fears develop in people. The concept evolved from the works of a Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate to a stimulus, such as the sound of a bell. The procedures involve exposing an individual to two different stimuli at the same time. The stimuli are unconditioned stimulus and conditioned stimulus. The unconditioned stimulus automatically causes an unconditioned response. The conditioned stimulus initially has no effect on the individual, but after repeated trials a conditioned response occurs. The conditioned response involves learning by association or by substituting one stimulus with another (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Explanation of phobia and fears by the classical conditioning theory An American psychologist, John Watson developed the concept of behaviorism. Watson proposed that the theory of classical conditioning could be used to explain the acquisitions of fears and anxieties in individuals. The application of the theory to explain the development of phobias and fears raises controversies. This is because many individuals with phobias do not recall any conditioning experience associated with the beginning of their fears or phobias. Also, many individuals develop the phobia without relating to stimuli. For instance, the fear of snakes is common among people; however a few phobic individuals have had a direct contact with snakes. The fear of doctors is less than that of snakes. Even though, most individuals receive unpleasant stimulus on the dental chairs, many fail to develop conditioned fears in reaction. In spite of these controversies, the theory of classical conditioning remains relevant in explaining certain phobia and fears. The theory of classical conditioning is applicable to situations where individuals have had experience with traumatic events. For example, individuals with experience of severe motor vehicle accident often react to the squealing of brakes or traffic lights with intense anxiety. In this situation, an individual associate the squealing of brakes or traffic lights (conditioned stimuli) with the accident or the pain and anxiety associated with the accident. Similarly, the observation of an individual in painful or threatening situation such as a movie shower scene can classically condition a person to fear showering alone or to fear showers (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Fears and phobia associated with classical conditioning Claustrophobia This is an exaggerated fear that develops when an individual becomes enclosed places such as subways, closets, telephone booth, tunnels, small rooms, elevators or other confined places. Many people suffer from Claustrophobia than any other exaggerated form of fear. Claustrophoboid is a term used to refer to an individual suffering from Claustrophobia, or fear of being in an enclosed place (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Claustrophobia takes many forms. Some individuals fear being in a room or a car they cannot open a window. Other people fear sitting in the central places in a church, airplane or windows. Some individuals try to cope with the fear by sitting at the ends of the aisle or rows. Some Claustrophobics fear and avoid flying because they dislike enclosed places (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Claustrophobics reacts with severe physiologic systems such as increased pulse and panic when enclosed in a place. Claustrophobic individuals fear that they may suffocate from the enclosed places. There are various reasons as to why people develop Claustrophobia feelings. Some Claustrophobic individuals may have had a frightening experience while in an enclosed place. The individual may forget the experience associated with the event, but the feelings remain leading to phobia. Such persons try to avoid situations that make them panic. Other individuals may experience a frightening dream of getting trapped in a closed place. An individual may forget the frightening dream, but the feelings of panic and fear persist (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Individual with the phobia of tunnels may fear that the tunnel will collapse burying them alive or the tunnel will cave in killing them instantly. When these individuals travel through the tunnel, they imagine whatever that may happen. These individuals may experience problems of breathing because of the fear (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Claustrophobic individuals that fear elevators find themselves making many choices in life as they try to avoid using elevators. This may affect where they live or work. Some individuals fearing elevators think that the elevator may get stuck between floors, the doors may fail to open, trapping or suffocating them to death. Another form of Claustrophobia is morbid fear. This is fear of being below the ground level such as underground trains or in submarines. Other individuals avoid subways and underground trains by taking other means of transport (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Cleaning (as a ritual) The fear of contamination from dirt leads to excessive cleaning rituals in some individuals. Individuals that have suffered from dirt feel contaminated, for example, each time they touch a pet, urinate, defecate or pass through a hospital. This makes them wash their hands repeatedly or disinfect objects they touch while they feel are dirty. Cleaning (as a ritual) is common to sufferers of obsessive compulsive disorder (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Cremnophobia It is fear of precipices or cliffs. It is similar to bathophobia and batophobia. Bathophobia is fear of looking down from high points in the atmosphere while batophobia is fear of being on high objects such as skyscrapers (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). Fear of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) This is a depression that occurs during climates with long periods of dark weather. Individuals suffering from anxieties associated with SAD feel comfortable during the bright months of the year. Some individuals benefit from the lights used on a regular basis. The above mentioned phobias can be avoided, and improvement and recovery from them is possible by seeking appropriate treatment (Doctor, Kahn & Adamec, 2008). How classical conditioning can be used to treat fears and phobias through counter-conditioning Counter conditioning is a classical conditioning technique developed by Mary Cover Jones (McEntarffer & Weseley, 2007). There are three counter conditioning techniques used to treat fear and phobia in individuals. The techniques are systematic desensitization, aversive conditioning, flooding and implosion. Systematic Desensitization (SD) Joseph Wolpe, psychologist, developed this approach. Psychologists use this approach to treat phobia in children. The SD developed after the explanation of classical conditioning theory that fears results from direct negative experience with an unconditioned stimulus, which cause a conditioned fear response. For example, a dog attack can cause physiological fear (previously an unconditioned response) to become a conditioned response upon exposure to any dog (conditioned stimulus). The goal of SD would be to eliminate the conditioned response by making the conditioned stimulus not to predict the unconditioned stimulus. This would require the use of responses that inhibit anxiety or that weaken neurotic habits (McKay & Storch, 2009). The treatment of fear starts by creating a list fear in a hierarchy manner. This is a list of fearful situations that comprise conditioned stimuli. The next steps involve selecting a counter conditioning agent and learning to perform it. Individuals perform typical behavior such as progressive muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing. Individuals can also use appetitive behavior such as humor and food (McKay & Storch, 2009). The treatment of fear then uses the counter conditioning agent slowly to invoke a state incompatible with fear. Then Psychologist exposes the individual step by step in the fear hierarchy either through imagining or vivo. In the actual sense, therapists do not require an individual to develop fear during the exercise as they try only to condition a new response upon exposure to the conditioned stimulus. Therapists require Individuals to avoid experiencing fear during the exercise because this will serve to strengthen the association with fear. Clinicians access the levels of fears during exposure and develop measures that clients can use when exposure becomes intense and begins to evoke fear. The Systematic Desensitization remains influential in the treatment of fears and phobias (McKay & Storch, 2009). Flooding and Implosion These two methods use classical conditioning methods to eliminate fear in individuals. Flooding tries to eliminate fear by placing an individual in real life situations that evokes fear intensely. Implosion attempts to eliminate fear by making the client imagine the fear eliciting situation in full intensity. Flooding and implosion methods then require the client to face the feared situation in its full intensity. The fears or phobia in individual extinguishes if the individual fails to avoid or escape the situation. In flooding, for example, the therapist can take an individual fearful of high areas to the top of a mountain, bridge or a tall building and prevent them from leaving. Some studies indicate that flooding is effective in eliminating phobia. In implosion, for example, a therapist asks the client to imagine of a feared situation such as events in a falling airplane. The repeated exposures to such high level anxiety situations cause the stimuli to lose strength to evoke the anxiety and become extinct (Sue, Sue & Sue, 2010). Aversive conditioning This is a widely used classical conditioning to treat fear and phobia. This technique pairs the undesirable behavior with unpleasant stimulus in order to suppress the undesirable behavior. For example, therapists use aversive conditioning to modify smoking behavior among heavy cigarette smokers. In the rapid smoking technique, therapist asks smokers trying to quit smoking to puff a cigarette at a first rate. The puffing of cigarette faster causes nausea. Many cigarette smokers find cigarette smoke aversive after paring smoking with puffing at a fast rate. This motivates them to quit smoking. Therapist also applies aversive conditioning among people having drug sexual disorders or drug and alcohol addictions problem (Sue, Sue & Sue, 2010). References Doctor, R. M., Kahn, A. P., and Adamec, C. A. (2008). The encyclopedia of phobias, fears, and anxieties. New York: Facts on File. McEntarffer, R., and Weseley, A. (2007). AP psychology. Hauppauge, N.Y: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. McKay, D., and Storch, E. A. (2009). Cognitive-behavior therapy for children: Treating complex and refractory cases. New York: Springer Pub. Sue, D., Sue, D. W., and Sue, S. (2010). Understanding abnormal behavior. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/CENGAGE Learning. Read More