Systematic Desensitisation Essay

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Systematic Desensitisation is a behaviourist therapy used mainly to treat phobic disorders. This therapy was developed by a man called Joseph Wolpe in the 1950`s. It was also discovered as a result to the effect of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is learning that occurs through association. A neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a new stimulus response. Watson & Raynor (1920) conditioned Little Albert to associate the sight of a white rat, or anything similar, with a fear response. In other words, Albert had been conditioned to be frightened of something he had previously found non-threatening, and even attractive. In conditioning terms, the loud noise Albert heard was the UCS (unconditioned stimulus), his fear response of crying was the UCR (unconditioned response), the white rat was the CS (conditioned stimulus) and his fear of the white rat was the CR (conditioned response). Little Albert used systematic desensitisation to cure this fear response to phobic stimulus with a more appropriate response. Systematic desensitisation is done in 3 stages. First the patient is trained to relax completely Second the patient draws up a list of his/hers least frightening scenarios (a picture of a rat or a furry object) to most frightening (touching a real rat) Thirdly, the patient will progress through the scenarios beginning with least frightening learned to stay as relaxed as he or she can. Sometimes the patient will be asked to imagine these frightening situations, but the therapy is said to be more effective if the situation is real. An example of this would be Little Peter who scared of furry objects and rabbits. Little Peter was systematically desensitized so he could eventually eat his dinner and stroke the rabbit at the same time. Behaviourist approach assumes that behaviour is learnt. Behavioural therapies work by
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