Behaviourists ignore the mind and the thinking behind behaviour.
e.g. two people could have the same experience (getting attacked at night). One person thinks about it rationally and the other irrationally and develop a phobia of the dark.

Behaviourists assume that you need direct experience with the feared object or situation.
May develop through social learning - observing their role models behaviour e.g. parent hiding in a thunder storm - child copies and develops phobia of storms.

Behaviourists cannot explain the fact that some people have phobias of objects/situations that they have no direct experience of.
e.g. lots of British people have fears of snakes even though it is highly unlikely for them to come across a snake.
Some phobias are to do with nature + people are born with them.

	Created by Max B over 10 years ago

GCSE Psych (Phobias) Note on Phobias - Behaviourist Theory, created by Max B on 12/12/2013.