Part B- Explanations of Phobias

Explanations of phobias;

Biological explanation of development of phobias;
Ao1- Genetic explanation
Genetic explanations of development of phobias can be demonstrated by research from family and twin studies. Phobias tend to run in families. Ost found that 64% of people with blood and injection phobias had a first degree relative with the same phobia compared to only 3% of the general population. Also, twin studies are used which involves comparing concordance rates between Mz and Dz twins (if phobias have genetic bias, there would be a higher rate in Mz twins). Torgerson found that 31% in Mz and 0% in Dz for panic disorders and agoraphobia. As such, there is supporting evidence for the use of genetics in explaining the biological side of phobias.

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Ao1-Biochemical explanation
According to the biochemical explanation for phobias, the ANS is more easily aroused in some people as they've inherited more sensitive fear response (individual differences in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology). Some individuals are thus sensitive to environmental stimuli and more vulnerable to developing phobias. The GABA hypothesis has been proposed specifically for phobic disorders and generalised anxiety. Anxiety develops from a dysfunction of neurons that produce GABA, GABA is released automatically in response to high arousal which helps reduce anxiety. If there is a malfunction, GABA neurons won't produce enough to reduce arousal. Thus a phobic person will react more anxiously.

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Ao1- Evolutionary explanation
Seligman's prepardness theory suggests humans have genetically based tendency to response quickly to danger as it means we are more likely to espace potential threats and survive. Fear and anxiety are adaptive and have evolutionary advantages (triggering FFR). Many of the more common phobias are based on things which may have threatened humans survival e.g. snakes, heights etc. Ohman et al demonstrated the evolutionary explanation. One group of pps were conditioned to fear snakes and spiders by paring slides of them with an electric shock. A second group were conditioned to fear flowers and houses, after a shock-free period the 2nd group lost their fears whereas the 1st group kept their fears. This shows the evolutionary explanations for phobias.

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Psychological explanations of phobias;

Freud sees phobias as conscious expression of the repressed conflict between the Id and the Ego. The Id is the part of the mind which has unacceptable impulses-usually sexual or aggressive. The fear that these desire might be discovered causes anxiety and as a result these impulses are repressed by the Ego. Moreover, repressed conflicts continue to anxiety which is often displaced-the anxiety is transferred to an object or situation resulting in a manifest phobia. The phobia could represent the original source of anxiety and it's explained by the defence mechanisms of repression and displacement. E.g. a woman's fear of snakes may represent her fear of male genitalia. By avoiding the phobic object or situation the person avoids having to face to and deal with the repressed conflict.

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Ao1- Behavioural explanations of phobias;
Classical conditioning explains development of phobias through the idea of learning by association-phobias are the result of an association between a neutral stimulus and fear response. E.g. Watson and Rayner's study of Little Albert- while he played with the white rat a loud noise was made. After a while an association was formed between the white rat and the loud noise thus resulting in Albert developing a phobia of white rats.
Secondly, operant conditioning states that behaviour is learned through rewards avoidance and punishment. OC can explain the maintenance of phobias because avoidance of the feared object/situation is reinforced by the reduction of anxiety. This is a form of negative reinforcement, by avoiding the feared stimulus, it cannot be overcome; therefore, avoidance maintains the fear and preserves the phobia. Lastly, abnormal behaviour is learned through observation and imitation of others. This is known as vicarious learning/modelling. Mineka aimed to determine whether phobias can be learned through observation-

Moneys born to parents who had an intense fear of snakes were observed, these money's initially showed no signs of fear which concluded phobias are not genetically inherited. After 6 observational learning sessions, adolescent monkeys showed fearful behaviour equivalent to that of their parent.

Ao1- cognitive explanations of phobias.
Beck argues that the way people think about and assess situations affects the development of phobias. People with phobias tend to have 'cognitive biases'. According to the approach it is not the initial exposure to a fearful situation that's responsible for the phobia but person's irrational thought and interpretations of the experience. People with phobias know how on a rational level that danger is minimal, yet they also truly believe that the feared object/situation will cause them physical or psychological harm. Clark et al found that patients with panic disorder showed a cognitive bias for their own bodily sensations-they tended to interpret an increase in heart rate as indicating something was wrong with their hear. This shows that the cognitive explanation assumes phobias are triggered by an individuals perception.

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