Our writers can help get your essay back on track, take a look at our services to learn more about how we can help. Essay writing service essay marking service place an order in contrast, the behaviourist perspective explains phobias in regarded to faulty learning patterns, acquired through processes of conditioning and learning. Behaviourist suggest that behaviour is learnt through a processes of conditioning ndash i.e.

A behavioural reaction is learnt in conjunction with the presence of a particular stimulus. Often phobic behaviours are a result of associations between certain stimulus and bad feelings. For example, if a child is scared of the dark, the behaviourist approach would suggest that the child may have experienced a frightful event in the dark and links the dark with feeling frightened.

For example, the child may have heard unexplained noises in the dark which may have been caused by a glass falling on the floor but in the dark this can not be seen. Therefore, unlike the psychodynamic approach ndash the phobic behaviour is the problem ndash not the underlying cause. Unlike the psychodynamic approach, it is not the circumstances under which abnormal behaviour was acquired in the past that is important, but rather the need to modify it in the present. The behaviourist perspective argues that a process of behavioural modification is effective in the treatment of phobic behaviours.

This process often involves the client making a hierarchical list of feared situations relating to the phobic object, and then to work through them ndash gradually being exposed to the most feared situation. The behaviourist approach works on the principle that two emotions of anxiety and calm cannot be felt at the same time. Therefore, in conjunction with learning to be exposed to fearful situations, the client also learns methods of relaxation breathing techniques to practice whilst in these fear provoking situations. The behaviourist approach has been attacked for ethical concerns to the client ndash in that exposure to these frightening situations may cause more emotional distress than good. However, the behaviourist approach appears more useful than the psychodynamic approach in treating the phobic behaviour. Therefore, as the psychodynamic approach suggests, the client may simply displace their fear onto a new stimulus ndash i.e.

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Therefore, a combination of the two approaches may be useful in the treatment of phobias. Abnormality refers to psychological, physical or behavioural characteristics of the individual that deviate from the statistical norm in a given population. This definition has a major weakness in that there are some times of behaviour that deviate from the norm ndash that are not considered dysfunctional ndash for example, a gifted child or an expert physician. The two classification systems that are used in europe and the usa to diagnosis abnormal behaviour are the international classification of diseases 10 and the diagnosis manual of mental disorders iv. The essential difference between the icd and dsm is how the two manuals diagnose social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. The dsm differentiates between the two conditions on the basis of fear of social situations ndash whereas the icd suggests that if the distinction between social phobia and agoraphobia is difficult, a diagnosis of agoraphobia should be given. Psychosis refers to the severe disturbance of an individual rsquo s emotions and thinking ndash these feelings are out of touch with reality.

In contrast, neurosis refers to an individual rsquo s high level of anxiety ndash however this anxiety is felt in touch with reality. Neurosis is expressed through anxiety disorders ndash such as obsessive compulsive disorders ndash which unlike psychosis only partially involves the person it is affecting. The medical model suggests that abnormal behaviour is caused by a physical dysfunction, i.e. The medical model believes that this physical dysfunction is genetic and caused by trauma or disease.

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The medical has been successful in its ability to predict treatment that will affect physical dysfunctions. For example, an understanding of the physical mechanisms that have triggered the disease makes it easier to come up with a treatment that will prevent this behaviour from re occurring. Also the fact that the medical model suggests that abnormality is genetic can provide predictions within the family environment. However, this approach does not take into account how the social world can play an important role in the potential formation and endurance of abnormal behaviour.

These drugs act upon the brain rsquo s chemistry and help to re balance the serotonin levels within the brain. However, caution has been raised about the potential side effects that these drugs have on the individual. Ect ndash invasive therapy ndash applying electric shocks to person rsquo s brain. Caution is warned as to the ethical consideration and humanity of this technique. Rosenhan rsquo s 1973 conducted a study called lsquo on being sane in sane places.

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Rsquo his study involved the investigation into whether the sane can be distinguished from the insane and also whether degree rsquo s of insanity can be distinguished from each other. Rosenhan got 8 pseudo patients to gain admission to several hospitals ndash on the grounds that they presented themselves to the doctors as hearing voices. What this shows us about the diagnosis of abnormality is that it is based on a set of criteria to be fitted into. If the symptoms are shown, then the label fits ndash even if these lsquo symptoms rsquo are not real. What does other research tell us about the reliability of these models? the reliability of the medical model has been put into question due to the validity of defining what rsquo s lsquo abnormal rsquo and what rsquo s lsquo normal rsquo. It is important to note that decisions about abnormal behaviour can not avoid certain flaws. For example, diagnosis of abnormality relies on a subjective assumption by the clinician, which is based on valued judgements of the medical profession.

Abnormality is also determined by which social context it is displayed in ndash therefore behaviour may be interpreted in the way abnormal behaviour is interpreted in its social setting. Furthermore, the concept of abnormality is influenced by statistical concepts of normality. This can prove problematic even in trained professionals broverman et al, 1970 ndash as statistics of normality are bound to political and social ideology. Behaviour which does not conform to social demands at any given time ndash may be rendered abnormal. However these assumptions inevitably change over time and place ndash therefore the reliability is going to suffer as a consequence. Not only does the concept of abnormality differ over time, but it can differ between doctors who diagnosis patients ndash and also between different cultures. Cooper 1967 found that us doctors were more likely to diagnosis schizophrenia than british doctors.