| What is the behavioural explanation for mental health | Learning through theory
Classical conditioning - learning through association
Operant conditoning - learning through reinforcement and punishment
Social learning theory - learning through observation of role models and imitation of bhv |
| What is operant conditioning in terms of phobias | Negative reinforcement : The individual who has the phobia will remove themselves from the situation e.g. run away from the dog, this will reduce your anxiety levels and encourages this behaviour to be repeated in the future.
Positive reinforcement : People around them will provide them with attention e.g. comforting them. This will encourage this behaviour to be repeated in the future. |
| What is classical conditioning | Classical conditioning suggests that phobias are learned/acquired through association, where a previously neutral stimulus (e.g. a spider) has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus that produces an unconditioned fear response (e.g. a bad dream perhaps?) |
| What is cognitive bias in terms of phobias | bhv is due to their interpetation of it |
| Behavourist explantion eval | Useful – Suggests that because phobias are learned behaviours, they can be unlearned, therefore a phobic person can be treated using techniques such as systematic desensitisation.
Reductionist – Suggests all phobias are learned, ignoring the fact that we may be biologically programmed to fear things that could cause us harm (e.g. spiders/snakes).
Nurture – Provides evidence for the nurture side of the debate.
Scientific – These theories can be empirically tested in controlled conditions, e.g. Watson and Raynor |
| Cognitive bhv evaluation | Useful – Suggests that because phobias are a result of faulty cognitions, an individual can learn new, more appropriate ways of thinking. Therefore a phobic person can be treated using cognitive techniques such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
Reductionist – Suggests that phobias are a result of faulty thinking processes, and fails to take into account the complex interactions between factors such as biology and past experience that may explain an individual’s phobia.
Cause and effect? – It is difficult to determine whether cognitive biases are actually a cause of a mental illness, such as phobia, or whether they are simply a symptom of it. |
| Evaluation of non biological treatments / appliations (systemised desentasiation) | -highly personalised so more effective
- no side effects or risks provided pateints with the skills to apply to fear situations
weakness
- requires a lot of effort and doesn't always remove phobia |
| Comparing biological treaments with non biological treaments | Biological treatments - reduces a wide range of symptoms , requires little strength by patient , used in mass for people suffering with mental health
w- lead to addiction , only supresses depression , has side effects , leads to dependency to not be ill
Non biological
-highly personalised so more effective
- no side effects or risks provided pateints with the skills to apply to fear situations
weakness
- requires a lot of effort and doesn't always remove phobia |
| Application for non biological treatment/ what is it | Systematic desensisisation based on clasical conditioning focus's on relearning new responses by creating a fear hierachy that they gradually do whilst relaxation techniques |
| Key research Szasz 4 summarised opinions | 1. ‘Mental Illness’ is a Metaphor
2. The Medicalisation and Politicisation of Mental Illness
3. Mental Illness is in the Eye of the Beholder
4. Coercive Psychological Practices |
| Psychodynamic evaluation | Useful – Psychoanalysis is a useful treatment for a wide range of mental illnesses, although it is unclear if this is due to the cathartic effect of accessing the unconscious mind, or simply through talking through one’s fears.
Unscientific/valid – Freudian explanations of mental illness are unfalsifiable, that is they cannot be empirically tested in order to be proven right or wrong. We cannot prove, or disprove, whether the unconscious part of the mind actually exists. |
| What is repression and displacement in psychodynamic ex | r-REPRESS - PUSH AWAY The ego may use repression to push disturbing thoughts, feelings and memories into the unconscious mind where they can be forgotten about.
Displacement could also be used to direct a fear we have towards one thing (e.g. the mother/father) onto a less disturbing object/situation.DISPLACEMENT= PLACE ELSE WHERE |
| The psychodynamic explanation for mental health | repression/displacement avoids the Ego from having to acknowledge what we are really afraid of. |
| What is your personality made up of according to freud | id ,ego and super ego |
| The two types of cognitive bias | Attentional bias : People who develop specific phobias are selectively focused on threat- they pay extreme attention to situations and objects that produce fear and anxiety. Even when the object or stimulus is not present, they are hyper vigilant- that is, constantly scanning for the phobic stimulus. ATTENTION ON THREAT
Negative appraisal bias : People who develop specific phobias interpret harmless situations and objects as being dangerous- they exaggerate the extent of risk or danger. They underestimate their own ability to cope with the situation and often overgeneralise the danger e.g. ‘There are spiders literally everywhere.’ and catastrophise e.g. ‘I am powerless to stop the fear’.NEGATIVE APPRAISAL BIAS - HARMLESS AS DANGEROUS |
