Systematic Desensitisation

Systematic Desensitisation

1. Behaviourist therapies in general draw on the principle of conditioning in order to help people unlearn certain behaviours.

   • SD is based mainly on classical conditioning and the idea of stimulus-response relationships.
     • SD was developed by Wolpe in the 1950's and is used to treat phobias.
       • It uses principles of operant conditioning and generalisations, everyone with different phobias work through the same format.

2. Steps

   • The patient is taught how to full relax themselves and their body in a normal setting.
     • Patient imagines scenarios associated with their phobia, each one of increasing severity.
       • Once the patient can completely relax in one scenario, they move onto the next.
         • The patient will eventually master their phobia by confronting it.

3. Types

   • In Vivo
     • Patient has to relax while directly experiencing stimuli.
   • In Virto
     • Patient visualises stimuli.

4. Evaluation

   • Effectiveness
     • Ethics
       • Anxiety Controlled
         • SD is considered to be more ethical than other therapies such as flooding.
           • This is because the patient is in control of the pace.
             • Consent
               • Patients are in touch with reality so can give informed consent. They are attending under their own free will and can withdraw at any time.
           • Flooding puts patients directly in harms way.
     • Research Support
       • Capafons et al (1998) studied patients who had a fear of flying, after treatment they showed significantly less fear.
         • Not Appropriate for All Phobias
           • The concept of biological preparedness by Bregman (1934)
             • May not be suitable for ancient fears, fears of things that were once dangerous to our ancestors.
               • Symptom Substitution
                 • SD only treats the symptoms of a phobia, does not attempt to understand the cause.
             • Seligman - we are born with natural fears.