VCE Psychology Units 3 & 4 Chapter 13: Anxiety Disorder: Phobia

Psychological and Social Cultural Contributing Factors

Psychological Contributing Factors

Psychodynamic Model Behavioural Model Cognitive Model

Theory proposed by Sigmund Freud. All mental disorders are caused by unresolved internal conflicts that are in the unconscious part of the mind

Phobias are learned through experience and are maintained by consequences. Eg learned through classical conditioning and maintained through Operant Conditioning

The cognitive model of psychology is a perspective that is interested in investigating internal mental processes, thoughts and memories.
Our cognitions are the psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning.

Tale of two little boys

Little Hans fear of horses Freuds case study Little Albert fear of anything white and furry Watsons case study

Little Hans
Little Hans became phobic towards horses after seeing a horse collapse in a park when he was four years old. Freud proposed that anxiety and fear as felt by the individual couldnt be expressed towards the real object of fear: in Hans case, his father. Hence, the horse in collapsing will collapse on and crush him. Hans is therefore scared of and wants to avoid horses. Instead it is focused on an alternative target, here a horse. The fear is from Hans wish to displace his father for his mothers attention and that his father will hurt him for this wish.

Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is directed upon
uncovering the real cause of the anxiety and fear and in doing so allow the person to understand the connection. It is anticipated that this insight will let the person place the fear in a less distressing perspective and no longer be overwhelmed by it.

Psychodynamic Model

defence mechanisms are one of the reasons phobias might be acquired according to psychodynamic (psychoanalytic) theory. Psychodynamic theory suggests a phobia arises from an unresolved Oedipal complex fear or anxiety towards the same sex parent. The fear is displaced onto a safer object, the phobic object. For first mark, must mention unresolved conflict. For second mark, must mention displacement.

Psychodynamic Model
Freud, who founded the psychodynamic approach, conducted much work on anxiety. Freuds theory attributes the development of a phobia to a failure of the defence mechanisms. For example the Oedipus complex is a result of a child being unable to use the defence mechanism repression, to repress their feelings for their opposite-sex parent and is jealous of their same-sex parent. These feelings of jealousy and hatred will be projected onto a phobic item. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sphzGUY OrjM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA35ys91QJU& list=PL9A414AF01CA9912F

Key Terms
Defence mechanisms Oedipal Complex Displacement

Behavioural Model
Behavioural theory of specific phobia theory that phobia has been conditioned or learnt by the affected individual

 Generally, explanations of phobias by behavioural models propose that classical conditioning processes play a role in the acquisition (or development) of a specific phobia and operant conditioning processes play a role in the persistence (or maintenance) of specific phobia.

What is a specific phobia?

A specific phobia is a disorder characterised by significant anxiety provoked by exposure to a specific feared object or situation, often leading to avoidance behaviour.

What are some examples of avoidance behaviours?

Source: Photodisc

Cognitive Model
The cognitive model of psychology is a perspective that is interested in investigating internal mental processes, thoughts and memories. Our cognitions are the psychological result of perception, learning and reasoning. We attempt to correctly perceive things so that our understanding of a particular issue or situation is helpful in our everyday functioning.

 However, we may sometimes pair faulty reasoning and rationale with fearful stimuli from the environment; hence a new, faulty cognition is formed. For example, if you faint when you are having a blood sample taken, you may etch that experience wrongly in your memory as, Oh, no! Needles are dangerous and drawing blood is frightening I must keep away from needles and blood. This can develop into a phobia where you experience a panic attack at the sight of blood or a needle, or simply at the thought of a blood sample being drawn from you

*Define each type of cognitive bias (pages 648-649)

Socio-cultural factors
What are socio-cultural factors?
Match the factor with its correct description.
Transmission of threat information Parental modelling Specific environmental triggers

observing and reproducing a parents fear of an object or situation

developing a phobia after a direct negative experience with an object or situation

exposure to negative or frightening information about an object or situation

Specific environmental triggers

Specific phobias can develop after having a negative and traumatic experience with an object or situation at some point in the past, e.g.
a phobia of dogs may result from being bitten by a dog a phobia of driving may result after a serious car accident.
Source: Macmillan Australia

Specific environmental triggers

What factor makes it more likely that a specific phobia could develop by having a negative and traumatic experience with an object? Using dogs as an example, explain why one person may develop a specific phobia after a single negative experience with a dog and another might not.

Source: Photodisc

Parental modelling
Specific phobias can develop through observation and subsequent modelling of another persons fearful behaviour towards a particular object or situation, e.g. a child who observes a parent react with fear and panics at the sight of a spider or a mouse may develop a specific phobia of a spider or mouse.

Source: Macmillan Australia

What can parents do to prevent excessive fears developing?

Transmission of threat information

Transmission of threat information refers to the delivery of information from parents, other family members, peers, teachers, the media etc. about the potential threat or actual danger of a particular object or situation.
Do you think young children or adults are more vulnerable to developing a specific phobia via transmission of threat information? Give an explanation for your answer.

Source: Getty

Transmission of threat information

Peter Muris, Neville King and colleagues (2003) conducted a study called Fear of the Beast.
Positive information about the beast

Low level of fear of the beast

N = 285 (413 years old)

Negative information about the beast High level of fear of the beast

More apprehensive of other dogs

Transmission of threat information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What was the aim of the Muris et al. (2003) study? What was the hypothesis? Who were the participants in the research? Identify the IV and DV. Do the results of this study support or refute the idea that specific phobias can develop via the transmission of threat information? What implications do these results have for the role of adults in the development of childrens fears? What particular ethical guidelines are relevant to the research?

6.

7.

Quick quiz
Question 1: What is a specific phobia? Answer: A disorder characterised by significant anxiety provoked by exposure to a specific feared object or situation, often leading to avoidance behaviour. Question 2: A person who develops a specific phobia by observing their parent behave fearfully in the presence of a particular object or situation developed their specific phobia due to _________________. Answer: Parental modelling Question 3: A person hears that there have been two fatal plane crashes in the last two weeks and consequently develops a specific phobia of flying. The person developed their specific phobia due to ___________________. Answer: Transmission of threat information. Question 4: Johnny nearly drowned in a pool when he was four. He has a specific phobia of water. How did Johnny develop his phobia? Answer: The drowning incident was a specific environmental trigger. Question 5: The participants in the Muris et al. (2003) study were all adults. True or false? Answer: False, they were children. Question 6: The IV in the Muris et al. (2003) study was the amount of fear of the beast shown by participants after hearing the information. True or false? Answer: False, the IV was the type of information given (positive or negative). Question 7: Peers can be a source of information that can contribute to the development of a specific phobia. True or false? Answer: True.