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Systematic Conditioning: A Case Study

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This assignment will show how through the use of Classical Conditioning principles that it is possible to develop phobias and that by using Systematic Desensitisation it is possible to overcome fears and phobias. A phobia is a serious or illogical fear of or hatred of something. Classical Conditioning is a process through which we learn about conditions that predict the occurrence of a significant event. It is also where the subject learns to respond to a stimulus that otherwise wouldn’t cause a response. Systematic Desensitisation is a graded exposure to the feared stimulus, which is the conditioned stimulus, thus encouraging extinction to occur. It is a type of behavioural therapy. First, the assignment will discuss Classical Conditioning, …show more content…

In terms of genetics if your mother or father had a phobia of spiders then there is a chance that you will have a fear of them to. If at some point in your childhood you saw a parent or a sibling shouting or screaming at the sight of a spider a number of times you will probably have associated this particular reaction with a spider and then reacted like that yourself in response to seeing a spider. (Ollendick, H. Thomas, Lewis, M. Krystal, Cowart, W. J. Maria, Davis, Thompson, 2012) Systematic Desensitisation is used to effectively help people overcome Phobias and other anxiety orders. For the person who has a fear of something, there are a number of factors that can cause them to become fearful. For example if you have a fear of injections factors such as the waiting room, consulting room, the nurse picking up the syringe and holding it near you. For a person to overcome their fear and for that fear to become extinct they need to be exposed to the conditioned stimulus a number of times. Systematic Desensitisation is how this is done. For the person who has a fear of needles they could at first be shown pictures of needles and perhaps pictures of people receiving …show more content…

W. Norton Ltd pg. 263
2) Field, P Andy, 2006, Is conditioning a useful framework for understanding the development and treatment of phobias, Clinical Psychology Review, 26(7), 857-875
3) Ollendick, H. Thomas, Lewis, M. Krystal, Cowart, W. J. Maria, Davis, Thompson, 2012, Prediction of child performance on a parent-child behavioural approach test with animal phobic children, Behaviour Modification, 36(4),

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