Phobias and Addictions Paper

Submitted By candiblack
Words: 988
Pages: 4
Open Document
Phobias and Addictions Paper
Candice Blackstock
PSY/300
Jennifer Murphy
October 27, 2014

Introduction Phobias and Addictions are behavioral issues that affect every aspect of our society. In this paper it will be discussed how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning, distinguish between classical and operant conditioning, and explain what extinction means and how it is achieved in both classical and operant conditioning.
Phobias Developed Through Classical Conditioning “A phobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger, but provokes anxiety and avoidance (Mayo Clinic, 2014, pg.1).” A phobia can last for a long period, causing the person to have a mental or physical reaction that can affect their life and ability to work or have a social life. These phobias can range from a person being afraid of speaking in public to having a phobia or fear of snakes or flying. “Classical conditioning is a type of learning that had a major influence on the school of thought in psychology known as behaviorism. Behaviorism is based on the assumption that learning occurs through interactions with the environment (Cherry, 2014, pg.1).” A famous example of classical conditioning to fear is John Watson experiment of the white rat in a child named Little Albert. The way that phobias are developed through classical conditioning is of the use of a neutral stimulus such as dog. The person initially does not have a fear of the dog at the beginning of the experiment. Then there is an introduction of an unconditioned stimulus, which triggers a natural response. This could be a loud cymbal such as the one that was used in the experiment conducted by Watson. By constantly combining the dog with the unconditioned stimulus, the dog is now the conditioned stimulus came to resemble the fear response which is now the conditioned response. Phobias can form through classical conditioning; just by a person having a bad experience with a dog can lead to them having a phobia towards all dogs.
Addictions can be developed through Operant Conditioning According to Psychology Today, “addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” Operant conditioning, or sometimes called instrumental learning is the way in which the results of behavior affect the possibility of that behavior being repeated. There are two types of reinforcement that can happen through operant conditioning, which are positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when the drug is given as a reward for doing something good. It is known that if a positive reinforcement follows a behavior, the more powerful its effect will be on that behavior and the more likely the behavior is to be repeated. The negative reinforcement is when each time a person receives a signal; they will perform an operant response, which is the drug in order to avoid a negative response. For example, a cocaine addict will take the drug (perform an operant response) in order to avoid the withdrawal symptoms and the associated physical and psychological discomfort that will occur if they do not take the drug. These operant procedures are also at work in developing an addiction. Once the body develops a tolerance through repeated exposure, the addiction becomes negatively reinforced by removal of aversive withdrawal symptoms, making addictive behavior more likely to occur.
Distinguish between Classical and Operant Conditioning Classical and operant conditioning is two important concepts to behavioral psychology. Even though both classical and operant conditioning are used in
Show More

Related Documents: Phobias and Addictions Paper

Phobias And Addiction Research Paper

PHIDIAS AND ADDICTIONS 1 Phidias and Addictions Linda Wise PSY/300 May 2, 2012 PHODIAS AND ADDICTION 2…

Words 1448 - Pages 6

Phobias and addiction Essay

Phobias and Addiction Paper In this paper you will find out about phobias and addictions and how the relate to operant and classical conditions. It will explain how phobias are related to classical conditions, and how addictions are related to operant conditions. When reading this paper you will be able to see the difference between operant and classical conditions. It will also explain what extinction mean and how it is achieved in both classical and operant conditioning. A phobia in term…

Words 1022 - Pages 5

Essay on Psychology final project

Psychological Disorders, Therapies, and Treatments Michelle Striewski GS110 F14 Section 13 Instructor: Billie Gilliam December 14, 2014 Psychological Disorders, Therapies, and Treatments I have chosen these two topics for my paper because I have a child who suffers from a mental disorder. She has been diagnosed with bipolar depressive disorder (Also known as manic depressive disorder). She has been diagnosed wrongly for many years. We have been to many psychologists, psychiatrists, medical…

Words 2040 - Pages 9

Essay on Psychotropic Medicine

Psychotropic Medicine Psych 105 Laura Britton 10/14/2011 Melanie Gabbert I chose to write my paper on psychotropic drugs. This topic caught my eye because I thought that it would just be about antidepressants and depression which I find fascinating anyway. However, when I started researching my topic, I was surprised and a little overwhelmed at the fact that there are many kinds of psychotropic drugs and that they are used for a variety of different reasons. Psychotropic drugs, sometimes…

Words 1600 - Pages 7

Essay on Can I Put You on Hold?

Can I Put You on Hold? Maryville University of St. Louis Dr. John Marino Mobile phones have become a staple of society, with everyone from elementary school kids to senior citizens owning one. The technology of today provides us with a unique opportunity to examine how new media both reflect and affect the social world. A new social landscape has been reflected due to the creation and implementation of these devices into our daily lives. Most people today leave their…

Words 3072 - Pages 13

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Essay

Graham Jr. Nova Southeastern University Abnormal Psychology Professor Lori Eickleberry Abstract This paper is a compilation of ideas and a collaboration of articles that give an in depth look at obsessive compulsive disorder. It gives a closer look into the illness and how it has become known to society. It will cover the prevalence of this disorder as well as its causes. This paper will also give a description of the disorder and common forms of treatment. Many of us occasionally have…

Words 2595 - Pages 11

Module 3 Essay Edited Version

to face posture. You should keep eye contact without staring, gently lean towards them but do not invade their personal space as this can make them very ill at ease. It is important to make regular eye contact and observations even when completing paper work, this will assure the client that you are listening. How you communicate both verbally and with body language whilst collating information will affect the responses you get from your client which in turn will affect you treatment. The main purpose…

Words 2036 - Pages 9

Essay on Hypnosis: Research, Principles, and Use in Modern Society

would focus on an object until entering a hypnotic trance. However he later found he could induce this state just as succesfully simply by talking to his patients. Although at the time Braid was not highly recognised in Britain, Braid sent one of his papers to a French association who relished the concepts and gave him…

Words 2233 - Pages 9

Literature Review on Mindfulness-Based Therapy Essay

Mindfulness-based Interventions in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and Substance-use Disorders: An Evidence-Based Practice Paper Jasmine, Kah Yan Loo Student Number: 17262661 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) School of Psychological Science La Trobe University…

Words 11242 - Pages 45

Study Guide Essay examples

conditioning: part of classical conditioning that demands an involuntary response from involuntary stimuli. The real importance of the involuntary response in classical conditioning is in dealing with equally involuntary problems, for example phobias. Since phobias are involuntary, classical conditioning can be used to bring somebody out of their irrational and involuntary fear. Unconditioned Stimulus: In classical conditioning, UCS is the stimulus that elicits and unconditioned response. It provokes…

Words 6017 - Pages 25