31.

Explain how would a social learning theorist and a psychoanalyst account for phobia of lizards. Support your answer with examples.

According to Social Learning Theory, both faulty and adaptive behaviours are a result of faulty learning.
the mechanism of reward and punishment will decide the behaviour that will be learnt or eliminated.

Role of learning – any significant person in a child’s life shows / has fear / phobia of lizards and gets attention. Getting attention serves as reinforcement.

This phobia can be treated with techniques like Systematic Desensitisation, Modelling or using methodology of Behaviour Therapy.

Systematic desensitization is the technique that is used in the treatment of phobias or
irrational fears. The client is interviewed to elicit fear - provoking situations and together with
the client, the therapist prepares a hierarchy of anxiety - provoking stimuli with the least anxiety
provoking stimuli at the bottom of the hierarchy.

The therapist relaxes the client and asks the client to think about the least anxiety-Provoking situation. The client is asked to stop thinking of the fearful situation if the slightest tension is felt. Over sessions, the client is able to imagine more severe fear provoking situations while maintaining the relaxation. The client gets systematically desensitised to the fear.

Psychoanalysis

A psychoanalyst would perceive phobia, as a result, ofa psychological problem that is caused by in adequacy in the way an individual thinks feels or perceives the world. He might consider phobia of lizards as a result of psychological forces operating within a person. These forces are dynamic. Abnormal behaviour such as a phobia is the result of conflict between these forces.

One may also consider phobia as a result of learning maladaptive behaviours (behavioural model) or the result of cognitive problems i.e., people hold irrational and inaccurate attitudes and assumptions.