...Phobias and Addictions PSY300 Phobias and Addictions In today’s society, many individuals suffer from phobias and addictions. Phobias and addictions are typically paired because those with an addiction began with a phobia they were unaware of. Phobias and addictions should be fragmented into two groups of conditioning with the effects each partakes on an individual: classical and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when an individual discovers how to respond to a stimulus in their atmosphere. Operant conditioning is when one responds to a reward or penalty. The foremost difference between classical and operant conditioning is the response and a stimulus, which can lead to addictions and phobias. Addictions An addiction is a determined behavior in wanting and needing something. Most know it can have unsympathetic consequences, but the individual will continue this behavior because of the addictions. Furthermore, the majority of addictions start with a satisfying involvement with something and desires to prolong or recreate the act. The addictive individual will endure the behavior with very little, if any self-discipline, even when it can become damaging or has already taken over their body. A person who is addicted will familiarize with desires and cravings to connect with the behavior and this need will build up, until the behavior kicks in again, typically feeling relief, and ecstasy (Grant, Potenza, Weinstein, & Gorelick, 2010). Additionally...
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...Phobias, Addictions and Extinction Tricia Stevens PSY/300 January 21, 2013 Dan Erickson Phobias, Addictions and Extinction At some point throughout life, all human beings experience phobias and/or addiction. Both can be deeply rooted in a persons mind and are derived through one of two styles of learning; classical or operant conditioning. The development of a phobia through classical conditioning, although not likely logical, can significantly impact every day life, in some cases disabling a person from doing common day-to-day things. Similarly, addictions developed through operant conditioning can be detrimental to a person’s health and well-being. Although both phobias and addictions can be difficult to expel, through extinction, a process of removing the reinforcer, it can be completed (Cherry, n.d.). This essay will explore classical conditioning phobias and operant conditioning addictions and the remedy through extinction for both. Phobias Through Classical Conditioning According to Merriam-Webster Online (n.d.) phobias are: : an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object. This makes perfect sense considering how a phobia is developed. Classical conditioning is a learning style that associates something (sound, smell, etc.) that historically would have not been corresponded with it. A phobia is likely to be developed through an association...
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...Phobias and Addictions Camille Sere' PSY/300 October 2, 2012 Shari Tumlin Phobias and Addictions In this paper I will be discussing phobias and addictions in relation to classical and operant conditioning. I will research and explore how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, and how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning. I will also explain what extinction means in psychology and how it is achieved in both classical and operant conditioning. The first thing you need to know is what exactly a phobia is. A phobia is an uncontrollable fear of an object or situation that is unreasonable and can develop in many ways; one of these ways is through conditioning. People have fears all the time, but a phobia affects a person’s daily life. Phobias for some people make it to where they become reclusive, or they cannot leave the comfort of their own homes, or their safe place. There are two main types or categories of phobias; they are specific phobias and social phobias. A specific phobia is an uncontrollable fear of a specific thing or a specific stimulus. There are animal phobias where a person is afraid of a certain animal or insect, for example the fear of spiders is called arachnophobia. There are environmental phobias like a fear of storms or heights. There are phobias of medical procedures as well as situational phobias like small spaces or flying. A social phobia is an uncontrollable fear of a particular situation such as giving...
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...Phobias and Addictions Paper Psy/300 4/26/14 Phobias and Addictions Paper Introduction Several individuals develop phobias or addictions in their lifetime. Phobias are an illogical fear that is of no danger to anyone else. Phobias are developed through classical conditioning. According to Barlett (2013) “addiction is defined as the need for and use of a habit forming substance despite knowledge that the substance is harmful” (p. 349). Additions can be developed through operant conditioning. Phobias and addictions are different forms of behaviors just as classical and operant conditioning are responses learn responses. Extinction is also a form of classical conditioning. Both classical and operant conditioning differ in how an individual responds. Phobias and Addictions Phobias are human developed fears. They are fears seem irrational or harmless to other individuals. Phobias can be developed through classical conditioning according to Kowaski and Westen (2011) “In classical conditioning, an environmental stimulus leads to a learned response, through pairing of an unconditioned stimulus with a previously neutral conditioned stimulus” (p. 169). An environmental stimulus anything in an individual’s surroundings that may affect them. A neutral conditioned stimulus is when a response does not happen automatically. This means that an environment that may not affect others has the potential to leave a person frightened based on a negative experience. For example, if a woman...
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...Phobias and Addictions PSY/300 July 29, 2013 Abstract Week Two of PSY/300, which is the General Psychology class, has an assignment of writing a paper regarding phobias and addictions. It includes the meanings and the differences between classical conditioning and operant conditioning. The paper explains what phobias are as compared to addictions and how each of them affects behavior in individuals. It also explains what classical conditioning means to phobias as well as what operant conditioning means to addictions. Phobias and Addictions Every person is in one way or another, conditioned by either operant or classical conditioning. Phobias develop through classical conditioning, whereas addictions develop through operant conditioning. The classical conditioning theory involves learning a new behavior via the process of association, (McLeod, 2012). Operant conditioning is the other type of conditioning whereas an individual learns through a reward system. It is more or less association made between behavior and consequence of that behavior. Phobias and addictions develop through these two types of conditioning. Phobias develop through classical conditioning and addictions through operant conditioning. Through the past decades, psychologists studied these two relationships to develop a more understanding of these emotional disorders. Phobias and addictions are negative behaviors and usually come from classical conditioning or operant conditioning. Phobias happen...
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...Phobias & Addictions PSY/300 December 17, 2013 Betsy Ferronato Phobias & Addictions Within society, many individuals suffer from phobias or addictions and sometimes even both. A phobia is an irrational fear of a specific object or situation. Addiction is a need or enslavement to a substance, an object, an activity, or a habit that is psychologically or physically habit-forming such as narcotics are, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma and most often an interruption in a person’s life (Robinson & Berridge, 2003). For the most part, addiction is a disease. When we are born, we start experimenting and learning for survival among other things. Phobias can develop through learning. The two most common and prominent ways or styles of learning are classical and operant learning. Classical and operant conditioning are psychological processes in which a person learns. Therefore, phobias and addictions are associated to classical and operant conditioning. Learning theorist, Edward Thorndike and Albert Bandura can account for two emotional difficulties, which are phobias and addictions. Learning theorist also include behaviorist Edward Tolman, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, and British naturalist Charles Darwin. Phobias and addictions are emotional issues or difficulties that many people have to cope with daily. Phobias are irrational fear. These fears can be powerful and at times devastating yet they are unfounded and are not based on fact or reality...
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...Addictions and Phobias Phobias and addictions are difficult problems to deal with, and unfortunately many people are affected by them. While they are separate problems, many times you will find people who are suffering from both problems. This can happen because many times a person with an addiction issue may have a phobia that they are unaware of. In order to better understand why phobias and addictions develop, a better understanding of operant and classical conditioning is needed. When a person learns to react to the stimulus in their environment; that is classical conditioning. When a person has a reaction to either a reward or punishment; that is operant conditioning. The easiest way to distinguish the two types of conditioning is look at the nature of the response a person has towards a stimulus. This paper will examine how phobias develop as a result of classical conditioning, and how addictions develop as a result of operant conditioning. (Kowalski & Westen, 2009) An addiction is the repeated use of a substance or activity that becomes a compulsion and has a negative effect on a person’s ability to function normally. Many times a person knows that the behavior they are doing is very negative and is having an adverse effect on their life, but this will not stop them from engaging in the activity. Many addictions begin as a result of someone engaging in an activity like drinking, doing drugs or gambling. This activity may be enjoyable for the person and give them a...
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...Phobias and Addictions Paper Viktorija Canevik-Alex PSY/300 Jacqueline Hall July 20, 2013 University of Phoenix Phobias and Addiction Paper In this paper I will discuss how phobias and addiction are connected to the classical and operant conditioning. I will explain how phobias and addiction are evolve through classical and operant conditioning, what is the difference between classical and operant conditioning, what is extinction and how extinction is accomplish in the classical and operant conditioning. Phobia occur when people are scared or fear without stopping of something genuine and hard to control and usually occur in young age but also it can occur in older age. Phobia is something very common and it influence peoples life every day, but important thing about phobias is that it can be treated. Here are some examples of phobias, like fear from: kissing, drugs, cold, taking medicine, mother-in-law, children, and others. Addiction can occur when people have hard time to control or stop use, do or take something. People can be addictive to many things, not only to alcohol and drugs, people also can be addictive...
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...Phobias and Addictions PSY300 Phobias and Addictions Phobias and addictions are usually seen together because most people with an addition already had a phobia they may not have been aware of to begin with. To understand this they need to be broken down into both classical and operant conditioning and the effect each has on both phobias and addictions. Classical conditioning occurs when people learn to react to a stimulus in the environment whereas operant conditioning occurs when people react to a reward or punishment. The major difference between classical and operant conditioning lies in the nature of the response to a given stimulus. Addictions Addiction to anything comes from a persistent behavior that despite knowing it can have adverse consequences a person will continue this behavior. Most addictions start when someone has a pleasurable experience and wishes to continue or relive this experience. They will continue the behavior with little or no self-control even when it can become destructive. A person who is addicted will experience urges or cravings to engage in the behavior, which intensify until the he or she carries out the behavior again, usually experiencing relief, and elation (Grant, Potenza, Weinstein, &Gorelick, 2010). Addiction seeks immediate gratification of drives and impulses. Operant conditioning focuses on behavior that is voluntary such as gambling where this behavior is done for a reward. Sex addiction is a behavior...
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...Phobias and Addictions Samuel Medina Psy/300 December 10, 2013 Prof. Kathy M. Rupe Phobias and Addictions It is interesting to think about some of the results of learning that can be on the opposite ends of their respective spectrum. For example, when it comes to Phobias and Addictions although these learned behaviors are opposites they both can stem from different learning techniques. A phobia is, “An exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situations” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). On the other hand an addiction can be defined as, “A persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). The similarity between these two behaviors lies in the compulsive and persistent fear or desire of the object or situation. Two of the well-known learning methods, classical and operant conditioning, can contribute to developing phobias and addictions. One behavior that can be developed by classical conditioning is a Phobia. The concept of developing phobia through classical conditioning occurs when one stimulus is paired with another resulting in a different response (Kowalski & Weston, 2011, p. 165). In 1920, John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner conducted a classical conditioning study that paved the way for the development of phobias. In this study, they surmised that emotional responses could be learned from the “Little Albert” experiment. They first frightened...
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...Phobias and Addictions Phobias and Addictions Everyone has a phobia and an addiction. A phobia is an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something: "he had a phobia about being under water"; "a phobia of germs.” An addiction is the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. Phobias and addictions are related to classical and operant conditioning. Phobias and addictions are two emotional difficulties, which theorists can account for. Phobias can be acquired through classical conditioning by pairing a neutral stimulus with something that causes pain. Phobia responses can be permanent unless the organism is subjected to the extinction process. In the extinction process, one must confront the fear without the presence of the unconditioned stimulus. For example, in Watson’s experiment, Little Albert developed a phobia of white rats (and other furry objects) as a result of pairing the white rat with a loud bang. The phobia could have been extinguished by repeatedly exposing Little Albert to the white rat without the loud bang. Another way to extinguish a phobia is through counter conditioning. In counter conditioning, the conditioned stimulus is paired with a pleasant stimulus. Little Albert could have extinguished his phobia of the white rat by pairing it with something pleasant (e.g., food, praise) ("Phobias,” 2010). Ivan Pavlov is known for his theory...
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...Phobias and Addictions Chantel Billingsley PSY/300 May 30, 2014 Brian Hawkins Abstract This paper provides a broad overview of phobias and addictions. The difference between classical conditioning and how it relates to phobias will be dicussed, as well as operant conditioning and how it develops into addictions. Distinguishing between classical and operant conditioning, will show the differences between the two. I will cover what extinction means and how it is achieved in both types of conditioning. "Phobia" means "morbid fear" in greek (What is Phobia, 2014). Fear is a natural response to a genuine danger. Phobias are the emotional and physical reactions to feared objects or situations; this fear becomes irrational and excessive. Feelings of horror, panic and terror may occur. Reactions become automatic and uncontrollable, taking over a person's thoughts and sometimes causing physical symptoms. These symptoms can include rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling and overwhelming desire to avoid the feared object or situation. There are three major categories of phobias. First category called specific phobias focuses on certain objects, animals, people and situations. Some of the most recognized phobias fall under this category; the fear of heights (acrophobia), the fear of spiders (arachnophobia) and the fear of enclosed spaces(claustrophobia). The second major category is the fear of open spaces (agoraphobia). Most individual...
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...Running head: PHOBIAS AND ADDICTIONS Phobias and Addictions PSY/300 Abstract This essay examines phobias and addictions, how phobias can be developed through operant conditioning and how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning. This essay also examines the distinctions between classical and operant condition and examines “extinction” as it relates to psychological theory and how extinction is achieved in classical and operant conditioning. Phobias and Addictions Numerous psychologists believe that behaviors are learned through conditioning. These conditionings are known as operant, which is based on individual’s response to outside stimuli, and classical conditioning, which is based on the theory that people’s reactions to situations are learned behaviors. Phobias and Addictions can develop when an individual’s ability to function within societal normality’s or adapt to societal complexities are diminished. Addiction is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Phobias and classical conditioning Phobias are persistent and irrational fears of specific objects, activities, or situations that are excessive and unreasonable, given the reality of the threat. Even though phobias are based on irrational fears, they often cause serious problems in a person’s life. Phobias can result in a person being unable to perform their job, participate in any...
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...Phobias & Addictions Jessica Riggs PSY/300 08/27/2014 Carl Grossen How and why do people develop phobias and addictions? Some people believe that these conditions come from a person’s environment and the way they were raised. There have been many studies to determine how people develop addictions through operant conditioning and how phobias develop through classical conditioning. To understand how these conditions develop one must first define and understand the differences between classical and operant conditioning. By learning how these conditions are created will in turn help achieve the process of extinction this is a technique to help overcome phobias and addictions. Classical and operant conditioning is two types of behaviors in psychology. These two processes are very different, but they both result in learning. Classical conditioning has an impact on behaviorism that is a school of thought in psychology. Behaviorism is a theory that is learned through experiences in the environment. Classical conditioning involves an environmental stimulus that automatically triggers a response. Phobias are created through classical conditioning. An example of this would be if a snake bit someone as a child they might form a phobia of snakes. Operant conditioning is a method of learning that happens through punishments or reinforcements to increase or decrease someone’s behavior. There are two types of reinforcements; one is positive reinforcements with this the behavior...
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...Phobias and Addictions Lisa Draxler PSY/300-GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY July 12, 2010 Carlton Bowden Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, explore how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning, to distinguish between classical and operant conditioning, and to explain what extinction means and how it is achieved in both classical and operant conditioning. * . Phobias and Addictions are two very emotional learning difficulties. Phobias are defined as being an enduring, abnormal, and unfounded fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, regardless of the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. Addictions are defined as conditions of being consistently or compulsively occupied with or involved in something. Classical Conditioning is defined as a process of behavior variation by which one comes to respond in a preferred manner to a previously neutral stimulus that has been repetitively presented along with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits the desired response. (Dictionary.com, 2010) Fear of heights, spiders, closed spaces (claustrophobia) and other specific or simple phobias are sometimes caused by a type of learning known as classical conditioning. (DeLuca, 2009) Precise phobias or simple phobias are thought to be caused or predisposed by genetics and/ or childhood disturbance...
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