PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Classical Conditioning
Document Summary
For many years, however, behavioural treatments were applied on their own. Sometimes today behavioural interventions are sufficient to treat certain problems. Behaviourists contend that symptoms of psychological disorder are learned behaviours acquired through the same conditioning processes that produce normal behaviours. Among the most widely researched treatment approaches in the clinical field. Behavioural approaches have been effective for numerous problems, including specific fears, social deficits and intellectual disabilities. Removal of symptoms is easier to observe and measure than conflict resolution in psychodynamic therapies. Behavioural therapies, by themselves, do not appear to be particularly effective with psychological disorders that are broad or vaguely defined. Generalized anxiety is unlikely to be alleviated by step-by-step, behaviour-by-behaviour interventions. This is why behavioural interventions are now usually combined with cognitive approaches. Goal: identify client"s specific problem-causing behaviours and replace them with more adaptive behaviours. Intended to change client"s dysfunctional reactions to stimuli. Teaching people with phobias to react with calm instead of fear.
