1. Psychopathology
Phobias
Miss Bird

2. AQA A Specification: Psychopathology
Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.
The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias; the two-process model, including classical and operant conditioning; systematic desensitisation, including relaxation and use of hierarchy; flooding.
The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck’s negative triad and Ellis’s ABC model; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), including challenging irrational thoughts.
The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD; genetic and neural explanations; drug therapy.

3. Phobia?
An irrational fear of an object or situation.

4. Pair task: Answers Ophidiophobia - snakes Arachnophobia - spiders
Coulrophobia - clowns
Rectaphobia - bottoms
Mycophobia - mushrooms
Pogonophobia - beards
Hippophobia – horses
Any others?

5. Types of phobias Specific phobia
Phobia of a particular object or specific situation e.g. animal types, natural environment types (e.g. heights, water), blood-injection types (e.g. blood, syringes), situational types (e.g. lifts, planes) and other types that do not fit (e.g. clowns, choking).

6. Types of phobias Social phobia
Phobia of a social situation e.g. restaurants, meetings, public speaking
Agoraphobia
Phobia of being in situations that the person cannot easily leave, such as in open spaces, crowds, public transport

7. Characteristics Behavioural Ways in which people act Cognitive
Refers to the process of thinking – knowing, perceiving, believing
Emotional
Ways in which people feel

8. Behavioural characteristics of phobias
Avoidance
Unless intentionally trying to face their fear, sufferers tend to go to great lengths to avoid their phobic item/situation.
This can interfere with a normal daily life in terms of routine, occupation, relationships.
Panic behaviours
This is in response to the presence of the phobic stimulus – crying, screaming, running away, freezing.

9. Cognitive characteristics of phobias
Irrational thinking
The fear regarding the phobic item/situation is irrational and excessive and is resistant to rational arguments
The person recognises that their fear is excessive/unreasonable (although may be absent in children).
Irrational beliefs
Illogical ways of interpreting situations
For example “I might suffocate if trapped in a lift” for an agoraphobic, or “that spider is going to kill me” or “I’m going to be an outcast if I go to that party”

10. Emotional characteristics of phobias
Anxiety
An emotional response of anxiety and fear that is marked and persistent, excessive.
It is triggered by the presence or anticipation of the phobic item.
Anxiety is the unpleasant state of high arousal and prevents relaxation.
It is probably accompanied by a panic attack (a feeling of panic but with biological characteristics as well).

11. Independent task Read the case study of Sarah. Agoraphobic?
Highlight evidence and annotate the behavioural, cognitive and emotional characteristics of her phobia.
8 minutes.
Extension: consider the 4 definitions of abnormality for Sarah.

12. What are the key principles of the behavioural approach?
All behaviour is learned. Abnormal behaviour is no different.
Behaviour is learned via the processes of classical conditioning, operant conditioning and modelling (SLT).
What is learned can be unlearned.
The same principles apply to humans and non-human animals
Focus is on observable behaviour, not the mind.

13. Independent task (page 21)
Complete the gap fill consolidation task on the behavioural approach in Psychology.

14. The Two-Process Model Mowrer (1947)
Phobias are learned.
Classical conditioning – initiation stage.
Operant conditioning – maintenance stage.

15. ‘Little Albert’ – CC and phobias
Youtube clip - John Watson – Little Albert (2:35 minutes)
=Xt0ucxOrPQE

16. Independent task
Read the case study of ‘Little Albert’ in your booklet on page 22.
Identify the UCS, UCR, NS, CS and CR and label the flowchart underneath.

17. ‘Little Albert’ Watson and Rayner (1920)
UCS  UCR
Loud noise  Fear response (innate reflex)
UCS + NS  UCR
Loud noise + white rat  Fear response
NS = CS  CR
White rat = white rat = Fear response
Stimulus generalisation – once somebody has been conditioned, they will also respond to other stimuli that are similar to the CS, in this case anything white and fluffy, e.g. cotton wool and a white rabbit.

18. Pair task Discuss and make notes on the following: -
How would operant conditioning explain the behavioural characteristic in phobias of avoidance?
Extension task: how might phobias be learned via SLT?

19. Operant conditioning to explain the maintenance of phobias
The phobic response of fear and anxiety is unpleasant.
Avoiding (or escaping from) the phobic item/situation avoids/removes this unpleasant response.
This is a positive/desirable outcome and therefore is rewarding.
Therefore the behaviour (avoiding the phobic item/situation) is repeated.
So this involves…….???
Consequently, the phobia is maintained (continued).

20. Exam practice (A02) Page 23
Ever since Paul was stung by a wasp he has a fear of them. His fear of wasps is so bad that he now tends to avoid going outside to play with his friends.
Suggest how the behavioural approach might be used to explain Paul’s phobia of wasps. (4 marks)
In pairs, discuss and answer the exam question.
Class discussion.

21. Evaluation (A03) Page 24
Read and highlight the 4 evaluation points on page 24 for the behavioural approach to phobias.
Some sentences need finishing!

22. Systematic Desensitisation Treatment
Based on principles of classical conditioning.
Progressive, step-by-step approach.
Patients learn in stages to replace fear response with feelings of calm/relaxation, to phobic object/situation.
Takes about a month to complete therapy.

23. Pair task
Read the 5 stages of systematic desensitisation on your worksheet.
Number these into the correct order.
Check with me.
Write into booklets into flowchart on page 25.
15 minutes.

24. Exam practice Page 26
Mia has a phobia of eating in public. She is about to go to university where she knows that she will have to eat her meals in a dining hall surrounded by other students.
Describe how a therapist might use systematic desensitisation to help Mia overcome her phobias of eating in social situations. (4 marks)
Independently, bullet point your answer to this exam question on page 26.

25. Evaluation of Systematic Desensitisation (A03)
Effectiveness
Does the therapy work?
Is it effective in treating phobias?
Appropriateness
Is the therapy suitable? For everyone?
Are there any associated side effects?
What about ethical issues?

26. Group work Groups of 6. Number yourselves 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Find your evaluation point in the classroom.
Make notes on your evaluation point on page 26.
Return to original group.
Peer teach your evaluation points to each other.
Total time = 25 minutes.

27. Flooding Independent task
Read through page 27 on flooding – description (A01) and evaluation (A03).
Answer the questions on the purple worksheet.
15 minutes.