4 explanations of anxiety disorders and phobia
Behavioural, psychoanalytic, cognitive, genetics
What is the behavioural explanation of phobias? (conditioning) - Watson + Rayner (Little Albert)
Classical conditioning: neutral stimulus is associated with unconditioned (fearful) stimuli = conditioned response
- rat (neutral) + loud noise (unconditioned) = fear response
- phobia due to external factors learnt within our environment
Strengths of the behavioural explanation
- Nurture: fearful/abnormal behaviours can be replaced with new things learnt
- Usage of child participants: increases internal validity as they are not exposed to many extraneous variables that may interfere with the results
Limitations of the behavioural explanation
- Snapshot study (Watson & Rayner)
- Low population validity: single-subject study - unique: difficult to generalise to older patients with phobias
- Reductionist: assumes that phobias are caused by only one fearful experience - does not regard other underlying factors (family history, genetics, etc)
- Deterministic: caused by external factors that we have no control over
What is the psychoanalytic explanation of phobias? (Freud - ID/Superego/ego)
Due to the fear of expressing one’s unconscious desire (ID) - emotional problems within an individual’s mind
- Defense mechanism against their fears
e. g problems with parents
Freud’s study explanation - Little Hans (Psychoanalytic Exp.)
Little hans: Fear of horses were an unconscious projection of his castration anxiety (saw horse - mom threaten to cut his penis off)
Strengths of the psychoanalytic explanation
- Holistic: considers other underlying factors leading up to the phobia (past experiences, family history, relationship with parents)
- Research method: Case study - provide in-depth data about the creation of the disorder
Limitations of the psychoanalytic model
- Research method: Case study: unique to Hans, may not be generalisable to other people with phobias - reduce population validity
- Data collection type: self report - qualitative data - risks of researcher bias –> reduce internal validity of the explanation
- Focuses blame to parents: increases distress –> counterproductive to healing
What is the cognitive explanation of phobias (input - output) - Di Nardo
Caused by abnormal thinking processes
- Assumes that our mind works like a computer (input –> output)
- Inaccurate mental representation of the world = abnormal thinking and behaviour
Di Nardo study (dogs)
- Compared the prevalence/ similarities of individual’s conditioning experience between dog fearful and non-dog fearful
Strengths of the cognitive explanation
- Free will: have control over their abnormal thinking - increase chance of being able to change their perception
- Highly controlled and standardised study: increases internal validity in explaining the cognitive cause of phobias
- Usefulness: ability to have control over one’s thoughts can ease the client with treatment in the future
Limitations of the cognitive explanation
- Reductionist: does not consider other underlying factors that contribute to the creation of phobia
- Snapshot study: did not consider extraneous variables that may affect cause and effect relationship
- Individual: caused by one’s faulty in thinking/ abnormal thinking —> puts blame on themselves?
What is the genetic explanation of phobia
Caused by biological dysfunctions
- Genetic vulnerabilities: person inherits large amounts of genes that make them more prone in obtaining certain disorders
OST Study (Blood phobics - genetic)
→ Compared blood and injection phobics individuals (wide range of background)
- 140 participants (large sample size)
- Screening interview, self-report questionnaire, behavioural tests
Strengths of the genetic explanation (link back to Ost Study)
- Practicality: Nature approach - individuals with genetic vulnerabilities may take precautionary measures to reduce risk
- Data collection method: DNA Sampling –> highly objective - increase internal validity
- Large sample size: increase generalisability - increase population validity
Limitations of the genetic explanation
- Deterministic: main cause - genetic dysfunction —> individual have no control over - difficult for treatment
- Difficult to establish cause and effect relationship: whether due to shared environments (nurture) / genetics
